This Wednesday, a federal judge sentenced Jacob Chansley, also known as the “QAnon Shaman,” to 41 months in prison for his role in the riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
From Reuters:
Prosecutors had asked U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth to impose a longer 51-month sentence on Jacob Chansley, who pleaded guilty in September to obstructing an official proceeding when he and thousands of others stormed the building to try to stop Congress from certifying President Joe Biden’s election.
The sentence matches one Lamberth imposed on a former mixed martial artist filmed punching a police officer during violence, who was sentenced last week to 41 months in prison. The two are the stiffest sentences handed down in any of the roughly 675 riot prosecutions.
While speaking at his sentencing hearing, Chansley gave a rambling speech about accountability and even compared his situation to those faced by Jesus and Gandhi.
From The Independent:
During his speech, he admitted that he was wrong for entering the Capitol, calling it “indefensible,” but maintained he was not a “dangerous criminal,” an “insurrectionist,” or a “domestic terrorist.” He also distanced himself from the other people he was incarcerated with, who he claims treated jail like a Holiday Inn. Chansley claimed he was “repentant” and moving away from his “sins.”
The opening of Chansley’s speech was somewhat rambling, citing Jesus, Mahatma Gandhi and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas as sources of inspiration during his time in prison. He later claimed that Gandhi beat his wife before his spiritual awakening and pointed out that Jesus overturned the money-changers tables outside the Temple in Jerusalem, suggesting that – like them – he could go on to do good after doing something bad.
