Jacob Chansley was sentenced to one of the most severe sentences so far for his involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol. The photo was taken by AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta.
One of the longest sentences handed down so far in connection with the events of Jan. 6 was given to Jacob Chansley, who was sentenced to 41 months in federal prison on Wednesday.
Chansley, a Donald Trump supporter who wore a viking hat with fur and horns, and carried a spear with an American flag, was sentenced by a judge. A New Jersey man was sentenced last week to 41 months in federal prison for attacking an officer outside of the Capitol.
The assistant U.S. Attorney told the judge that if the case had been peaceful, they wouldn't be here.
"'Times up, motherfuckers' is not peaceful, your honor, and what Chansley yelled in the Senate chamber is indicative of that," Paschall said. That is chilling. The letter Chansley left on the desk of the Vice President said it was only a matter of time. It was not peaceful. She said the note was a threat.
While Chansley did not assault the police that day, the judge should read the threatening note in the context. She noted that Chansley called Pence a traitor from the Senate dais.
On January 6, 2021, Chansley engaged inobstructionist activities, and none of that was peaceful. She asked the court to send a message to anyone who tries to obstruct American democracy, regardless of their political beliefs.
Chansley was one of the first 30 people to break into the Capitol and faced off with police officers outside the Senate chamber.
Chansley thanked the judge for moving him to another jail where he could get an organic diet.
Chansley said that he believes in freedom with all his heart and soul. Without law and order, you can't have freedom.
Chansley said that he came to understand why he was locked up, and that men of honor admit when they are wrong.
I was in solitary confinement because of my decision. If I believe in freedom, if I believe in law and order, then I broke the law. Chansley said he should take responsibility. I needed the time to think.
Chansley said that he was a good man who broke the law, but that he was not an insurrectionist or a domestic terrorist. If he could go back and relive Jan. 6, he would do everything differently.
The Senate chamber is locked and police officers are holding them steps away. The senators are inside. I see some flags.
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January 6, 2021.
Chansley made his way to the gallery of the Senate, where he yelled "time's up motherfuckers" as other rioters rifled through senators' desks in the chamber below. He took the seat that had been occupied by Mike Pence on the floor of the Senate. Chansley left his letter on the desk after calling Pence a traitor.
In September, Chansley's attorney, Al Watkins, said that his client had started to move away from his belief in the QAnon conspiracy theory, and that he had to be known as the "Q'moniker".
I wonder if I've seen this traversing of a path away from QAnon by Jacob. Absolutely. Has he extricated himself so that his boots don't smell of Qanon? No. Watkins said that it was still there. It is going to take time.
Watkins said the court was in a unique position to both hand out justice and help bridge the political divide by showing mercy on Chansley.
Watkins said that he wants to be held accountable.
Chansley is in the Senate chamber. In the photo is Win McNamee.
The government said that his criminal acts had made him the public face of the Capitol riot and asked for a sentence of 51 months in federal prison.
Federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memo that the rioters threw debris at those who opposed them, past broken windows and through doors with alarm bells, and that the defendants brazenly marched past dozens of law enforcement officers. The first 30 rioters penetrated the U.S. Capitol building. The mob was enraged by the defendant's screaming obscenities about the lawmakers and the government he had long considered to be traitors.
It was important for the Justice Department to convey to future rioters and would-be mob participants that their actions will have consequences.
The DOJ said the damage from January 6 will last longer than the hours of delay in certifying the results of the presidential election.
They wrote that the actions of this defendants and others on January 6, 2021, shook one of the foundations of our democracy and made us all question the safety and security of the country in which we live. The harms caused by the acts of this defendant must be deterred so that we never see a similar assault on our democracy again.
Chansley, who wore a horned headdress and face paint during the attack on the U.S. Capitol, poses for a booking photograph at the William G. Truesdale Adult Detention Center in Alexandria, Virginia. The handout was sent via the news agency.
Chansley has mental health vulnerabilities, and his attorney argued that his client has "apparent Forest Gump-like obliviousness too much of the activity and many of the actions of those surrounding him as he approached, entered, and traversed the Capitol." Chansley's father was imprisoned for the "lion's share" of Chansley's life, and his stepfather died by suicide, according to Chansley's lawyer. Chansley has been diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder, according to his lawyer.
Watkins asked the court to sentence his client to time served, saying that patience and compassion were the only courses that were medically appropriate, ethically appropriate, and legally appropriate. It is time for the shaman to start on his journey to freedom from mental health issues. It is time for Mr. Chansley to start his journey.
The article was originally on HuffPost.
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