The infamous Capitol rioter widely known as the “QAnon Shaman” confirmed that he is no longer a MAGA maniac.
Jacob Chansley, the often-shirtless conspiracy theorist who made headlines for bearing war paint and horns during the January 6 Capitol riot, told CNN that the administration’s handling of the Epstein files was the last straw for his support of President Donald Trump.
When asked by CNN senior correspondent Donie O’Sullivan if he was still a Trump supporter, Chansley replied, “No. I thought you knew that.”
“The man alone, refusing to release the Epstein client list, was enough for me and I think a lot of other people to be like, ‘Okay, this is bulls–t,” he added.
Chansley, an Arizona native, explained to O’Sullivan why he participated in the Capitol riot while the two hiked a mountain in his hometown of Phoenix.
“I went to Washington because I believe that every election since Kennedy has been stolen. And I believe every election since 1913 has been stolen,” Chansley said. “I went to Washington, not necessarily so much to support Trump, but to support America, and the idea of free, honest, and fair elections in the United States.”
“Look at it like this: I supported Trump because he was talking about ending child and human trafficking. I supported Trump because he was talking about arresting Epstein and the Epstein client list.”
Chansley received one of the longest prison sentences out of any of the January 6 rioters, but was pardoned by Trump last year. He shared a post on X shortly after, celebrating the news he heard from his lawyer.
“I GOT A PARDON BABY! THANK YOU PRESIDENT TRUMP!!!” he wrote. “NOW I AM GONNA BUY SOME MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS!!!”
However, his tune changed months later in July, when he lashed out on X in a series of posts targeting Trump and other members of the administration.
“F–k this stupid piece of s–t,” Chansley said in a since-deleted reply to a photo of Trump’s mugshot posted by the president in August 2023. “What a fraud.”
“Oh yeah & F–k Israel! And F–k Donald Trump!” he added. “What do you think Epstein & Isreal (sic) have on Trump???”
Chansley told CNN that he never self-identified as the “QAnon Shaman,” but said he was only “kind of” a QAnon follower—referring to the unfounded conspiracy that Trump was working to dismantle a secret elite cabal of Satan-worshippers occupying the U.S. government.
“I had a sign that I carried around with me for a little while that said ‘Q sent me!’” Chansley said. “But that was because of the meme.”
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