Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Twitter, has demanded the release of Jacob Chansley, a war-painted Trump fan who was imprisoned for his part in the riot on Capitol Hill on January 6, 2021. Chansley, dubbed the “QAnon Shaman” by the media, may be seen in recently made public camera footage going calmly into the Capitol while being escorted by police.
On Friday, Musk posted a video of Chansley asking other protesters to “go home” after Donald Trump requested them to leave the area.
He captioned the video, “Release Jacob Chansley.
Free Jacob Chansley https://t.co/8BbeXF2Fye
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 10, 2023
“Chansley was misrepresented in the media as a violent criminal who advocated for other people to use violence and wanted to topple the government. But now look at him telling everyone to calm down and go home,” Musk added in a subsequent tweet.
In reference to Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement, he continued, “I’m not part of MAGA, but I do believe in fairness of justice.”
I don’t support MAGA, but I do think justice should be administered fairly.
Chansley was inaccurately presented in the media as a violent criminal who advocated for other people to use violence and attempted to overthrow the government.
But here he is urging people to be peaceful and go home. And the other… https://t.co/XU8vISJaNy
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2023
Chansley was given a 41-month prison term after entering a guilty plea to one count of impeding an official procedure in 2021. Chansley, one of the first protestors to enter the Capitol on the day of the violence, was captured on camera inside the Senate chamber donning an American flag-themed face paint and a horned fur helmet.
The federal judge who handed down Chansley’s punishment called his deeds “horrendous” and “terrifying.”
Yet according to camera footage played by Fox News commentator Tucker Carlson on Monday, Chansley was seen touring the Capitol’s interior with two police officers before praying for them.
This video was withheld by the Democratic-led January 6 Committee, which was established to look into Trump’s involvement in the disturbance. After the GOP regained control of the House of Representatives in January, it was given to Carlson by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy.
“Chansley got 4 years in prison for a non-violent, police-escorted tour?” Musk wrote in another tweet on Friday. That tweet was “fact checked” when shared on Instagram, with the platform linking to media reports claiming that police repeatedly asked Chansley to leave the building, and therefore did not “help” him around the Capitol.
“The Capitol Police literally opened the Senate chamber door for him on camera!” Musk exclaimed. “But who are you going to believe, Instagram ‘fact-checkers’ or your own lying eyes!?”
The Capitol Police literally opened the Senate chamber door for him on camera!
But who are you going to believe, Instagram “fact-checkers” or your own lying eyes!?
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2023
According to Justice Department statistics, Chansley is one of roughly 1,000 protestors detained in connection with the violence, 306 of whom were charged with impeding an official procedure. 326 offenders were charged with assaulting or defying a police officer, while 919 were accused of entering a restricted federal building. 518 of the detained have entered guilty pleas, the majority to petty offenses..