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QAnon Shaman, who pleaded guilty and made a heartfelt apology in Jan. 6 case, has changed his mind and wants his plea reversed

Jul 16, 2023, 23:05 IST
Business Insider
Jacob Chansley is known as the QAnon Shaman.Win McNamee/Getty Images
  • The QAnon Shaman who pleaded guilty for his January 6 involvement wants to reverse his plea, BBC reported.
  • Jacob Chansley once issued a moving apology over his involvement in the Capitol siege.
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Regret doesn't last long.

At least not for the QAnon Shaman who was charged and imprisoned following his participation in the January 6 Capitol riot in 2021.

Jacob Chansley once issued a moving apology as he pleaded guilty for his participation in the riot. Now that he's out of prison early, what he regrets now is his guilty plea.

"Regrets only weigh down the mind," Chansley told the BBC. "They're like sandbags on a hot air balloon."

Chansley told the outlet he plans to return to court to ask that his guilty plea be reversed, according to the BBC, which reported that discussions on some online forums suggest some rioters who pled guilty are having similar changes of heart as the infamous man in a viking hat.

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In order to reverse his guilty plea – a process wherein he risks facing a new trial – Chansley would have to convince a judge that he was ineffectively represented by his attorney.

He has already started to change his tune about arguments made by attorney Albert Watkins, who cited Chansely's mental health struggles when he argued for Chansley to receive a lenient sentence, Business Insider previously reported. Watkins also argued Chansley and many other rioters had been deceived by former President Donald Trump.

"I never said I was duped by Trump," Chansely told the BBC. "I never denounced Q or the QAnon community… and I am not schizophrenic, bipolar, depressed or delusional."

Watkins did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Chansley started issuing apologies for his actions in the riot just a month after they took place. In February 2021, he released a statement from jail through his attorney.

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"I deeply regret and am very sorry I entered into the Capitol Building on January 6, 2021. I should not have been there. Period," Chansley said in the statement. "I was wrong. Period."

A judge called Chansley's remarks "the most remarkable I've heard in 34 years," according to the BBC, and sentenced him to 41 months in prison – far less than the 20-year maximum he could have received.

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