QAnon Shaman says Trump 'groomed' him to believe conspiracy theories and storm the Capitol
Jacob Chansley, the so-called "QAnon Shaman" who became famous for storming the United States Capitol building while wearing a fur hat and horns, is squarely blaming former President Donald Trump for radicalizing him.
Newsweek reports that Chansley's attorney, Albert Watkins, filed a motion this week arguing that his client deserves to be released from custody before he goes on trial for his role in the January 6th Capitol building riots.
Among other things, Watkins argued that Chansley should be given leniency because he'd been tricked by Trump into believing false propaganda about voter fraud.
"For years during the Trump administration, the President honed and routinely utilized his mass communication means to effectively groom millions of Americans with respect to his policies, protocols, beliefs and overwhelming fixation on all matters conspiratorial," Watkins argued.
The attorney went on to argue that Trump had convinced his supporters that they faced "theft of our nation, loss of our democracy, and the seating of a falsely/fraudulently elected individual" if President Joe Biden's victory was certified by the United States Congress.
Although Chansley was once a devoted Trump supporter, he quickly turned on the former president once it became clear that he would not be getting a pardon that would save him from prison time.