After serving 27 months in prison for participating in the January 6 insurrection, the Q-Anon Shaman says he is running for office.
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Jacob Chansley, 36, stated that he plans to run for office as a Libertarian in Arizona’s 8th congressional district. He has denounced his Q-Anon shaman name after serving time in jail and wrote, “Today, I am running for US Congress so I can take this battle to their front door the same way they brought it to mine.” The seat has been held by Republican Rep. Debbie Lesko since 2018 and she announced last month that she would not be seeking re-election as told by UNILAD.
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Chansley has been a supporter of President Donald Trump and a believer and disseminator of the QAnon conspiracy theory, which alleges that a cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles is running the world and that Trump is secretly fighting against them. Chansley frequently attended rallies supporting QAnon and other conspiracy theories, and he was a regular presence at the Arizona Capitol, where he would often protest alone.
On January 6, 2021, Chansley was among the first rioters to enter the Capitol building. He was seen carrying a spear and wearing his trademark horned headdress and face paint. Chansley wandered through the Capitol, taking pictures and videos, and he even entered the Senate chamber, where he took a seat at the Vice President’s desk.
Chansley was arrested and charged with several crimes, including obstructing an official proceeding and entering a restricted building. He pleaded guilty to one count of obstructing an official proceeding and was sentenced to 41 months in prison. He was released early from prison in March 2023.
Chansley has since disavowed the QAnon conspiracy theory and has said that he regrets his actions on January 6 but recanted his statement while speaking with the BBC.
“Regrets only weigh down the mind, They’re like sandbags on a hot air balloon.”
In the recanted apology he said:
“I am truly, truly repentant for my actions, because repentance is not just saying you’re sorry. Repentance is apologising and then moving in the exact opposite direction of the sin that you committed. In retrospect, I would do everything differently on January 6th.”