A federal judge has denied the motion to vacate “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley’s January 6 conviction, despite the emergence of withheld security footage suggesting Capitol Police officers escorted him through the building during the riot.
Chansley faced multiple charges, including civil disorder, obstruction of an official proceeding, and entering a restricted building. Ultimately, he pleaded guilty to one felony of obstructing an official proceeding and received a 41-month prison sentence in November 2021.
Following 27 months served for his involvement in the Capitol riot, Chansley’s sentence was shortened due to the controversial security footage, which was broadcast by former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Attorney William Shipley, representing Chansley, requested the court to withdraw and dismiss the case, arguing that the footage could have been favorable during sentencing. Shipley stated, “Our main goal was to simply force the government to explain why video evidence was not timely produced during a period defendants like Jake were being detained in custody. We still believe the government has not provided a sufficient justification in that regard.”
However, U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth refuted Chansley’s claims in a 35-page opinion, asserting that they lacked merit. He further emphasized that Chansley’s acceptance of responsibility was crucial in determining his sentence and without it, he would likely have received a more severe punishment.
Judge Lamberth also criticized the Capitol security footage aired on Carlson’s show, describing it as “replete with misstatements and misrepresentations” about the events of January 6. Nevertheless, he maintained that the evidence presented could not be rejected.
The contentious footage was made public after House Speaker Kevin McCarthy granted Carlson exclusive access to 40,000 hours of video from that day. Carlson claimed that Chansley was constantly on camera inside the Capitol, and the footage suggested that the Capitol Police aided him, acting as his guides.
Initially, Chansley had issued an apology upon pleading guilty to his involvement in the Capitol riot over two years ago. However, after being released from prison early, he expressed regret for making that plea in a recent interview with the BBC.