An Arizona man who goes by the name “QAnon Shaman” and was among the first to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6 said in a jailhouse interview broadcast Thursday that he was “wounded” not to have received a pardon from Trump and explained why he felt devoted to the former president.
“I developed a lot of sympathy for Donald Trump because it seemed like the media was picking on him,” Jacob Chansley told CBS. “It seemed like the establishment was going after him unnecessarily or unfairly. … In my ways I identified with a lot of the negative things that he was going through.”
“I honestly believed and still believe that he cares about the Constitution, that he cares about the American people,” Chansley added. “That’s also why it wounded me so deeply and why it disappointed me so greatly that I and others did not get a pardon.”
Chansley became one of the most visible figures during the breach of the Capitol, when electoral college votes were being tallied, because of his appearance. He wore face paint and a furry hat with horns and was shirtless. He carried a bullhorn.
During the CBS interview, Chansley said he was not violent and that his intention was “to bring God back” into the Senate. He said he did not realize it was unacceptable for him to have entered the Capitol without permission.
Now, he said, “I regret entering that building with every fiber of my being.”
Asked if he regrets his loyalty to Trump, Chansley said he does not.
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