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Feds got some bad news from Judge Royce Lamberth. He ordered that they have to give infamous “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley his riot gear back. They wanted to auction it off and pocket the profit. Not so fast, the judge ruled. The government has no legitimate claim to it.
Feds disappointed by ruling
The feds don’t have a very good prosecution record with January 6 cases. Every time they turn around, their paid informants and instigators are outed.
By now, everyone has seen the footage showing how peaceful most of the patriots were, who got tricked into touring the interior of the Capitol Building. Most of them were escorted through by security.
“QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley is instantly recognizable in all the images of what happened that day because of his iconic “horned, coyote-tailed headdress.”
Capitol rioter Jacob Chansley, known as the “QAnon Shaman," will get back the spear he carried inside the building, as well as his horned, coyote-tailed headdress, a judge ruled on Monday.https://t.co/yjrElRsMTg
— Kaitlan Collins (@kaitlancollins) August 5, 2024
He also carried a spear with a flag attached. The feds were all set to grab them from him, to sell. Then, the Judge ruined their plans.
On Monday, August 5, Judge Lamberth resolved “one of the residual questions of the riot related to some of its most indelible images.” The feds have been fighting Chansley tooth and nail over release of his property.
They were seized at his arrest and the federal government kept them in a box ever since. Chansley has “served much of his criminal sentence for the felony charge related to the riot.” When the full footage came out, he was released on home confinement.
Prosecutors may need it
The feds argued, though not convincingly, that “they needed to keep the items as evidence in case Chansley tries to challenge his conviction again.” That was never the real reason.
The Just Us Department tipped their hand by floating “to the court the idea of keeping the items as part of a civil forfeiture.” They knew better than try that prematurely and it’s a good thing they waited.
Judge Lamberth didn’t buy it. “Even if the government may need to reprove Mr. Chansley’s guilt, the government has not explained why it would need his property.” The feds know it would fetch a bundle at auction.
JUST IN: A federal judge has agreed to let Jake Chansley — the QAnon Shaman of Jan. 6 infamy — retrieve his horned helmet and spear from the government. https://t.co/iMylUuqTkk pic.twitter.com/4L4je4mDiJ
— Kyle Cheney (@kyledcheney) August 5, 2024
“As there is voluminous video and photo evidence of Mr. Chansley’s conduct, his property is of little utility for an investigation or prosecution.” The jury doesn’t need to smell the fur or run their thumb over the razor edge of the spear.
On the other hand, Chansley and his shaman costume became symbolic of the barbarian invasion. “Pictures of Chansley went viral almost four years ago when the Arizonan during the riot flexed his muscles on the Senate dais where then-Vice President Mike Pence had been minutes before.” Even today, the items have symbolic significance.
“The headdress, as well as his bare chest and face paint, have been mimicked by other supporters of Donald Trump and Capitol rioters since then, including among some who protested Trump’s recent hush money criminal trial in New York.” The property belongs to Chansley and he can sell it or keep it, whatever he wants to do. The feds can forget about stealing it from him.
