by Nomad
Martha Chansley, the mother of 33-year-old Jacob Chansley, the so-called QAnon Shaman, appeared on 60 Minutes to defend her son of charges. In the interview, when asked if she thought her son did anything wrong, Ms. Chansley said:
"What do you mean by wrong? He went through open doors. He was escorted into the Senate. So I don't know what's wrong with that."
"Jacob wasn't a part of that [group]."
Seemingly unable to grasp the seriousness of the situation, Chansley noted:
"I feel the gravity of it, because my son is in - you know, he's, he's where he is right now. If he could take it back, he would. I know that he's sorry."
In a statement released last week through his attorney, the howling shaman Chansley said he has re-evaluated his life since being jailed for over a month. He now realizes he shouldn’t have entered the Capitol building. Chansley, who previously said Trump inspired him to be in Washington that day, said Trump “let a lot of peaceful people down.”
Despite her son being "sorry," Ms. Chansley also stated that she saw nothing wrong with what her son did. It was all about his free speech.
I don't think the process of being able to go and exercise your right to free speech and to stand up for what you believe is right [is bad],"
The 2020 election, she said, was fraudulently won by Joe Biden, she claimed, repeating Mr. Trump's baseless 2020 election conspiracy theories. Her son's attorney, Al Watkins, openly asked the outgoing president for a pardon back in January and was snubbed.
In past interviews conducted not long after her son was arrested, Chansley sang her son's praises. She told ABC15 in Phoenix:"It takes a lot of courage to be a patriot, OK, and to stand up for what it is that you believe,. Not everybody wants to be the person upfront."And in another interview:
"My son is a great patriot, a veteran, a person who loves this country, I was surprised. I think at the time I don't think he did anything wrong."She neglected to mention that her son's military career ended abruptly when he refused to comply with regulations. According to the Navy, he had refused to take the anthrax vaccine while in the Navy, ending his two-year career. Chansley had served as a Navy supply clerk seaman apprentice from 2005 to 2007. What kind of discharge he received for his insubordination was not disclosed.
(In case you are wondering, he refuses to take the Covid-19 vaccine. In fact, his lawyer asked a judge to release him from prison because he "could catch Covid-19 since he’s unwilling to take a vaccine.")
As far as being a patriot, the attorneys for the government were unmoved. This week, prosecutors in his case argued that Chansley should not be released pending a trial. According to an AP report:
Prosecutors told a judge in a filing Monday that Jacob Chansley should remain jailed until trial because he is a danger to the community, explaining he held a weapon as he confronted officers inside the Capitol, wrote a threatening note to then-Vice President Mike Pence, and spoke about ridding the government of traitors.
“He cannot be trusted now to suddenly change course,” prosecutors said.
With a mother like Martha who- like her son, seems to relish the media attention- it's really hard not to agree with the prosecutors. For people like Jacob, a dangerous act is only one Fox News broadcast or Trump speech away.