The infamous Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman,” whose real name is Jacob Chansley, intends to run for Congress in Arizona in 2024 after pleading guilty to a felony charge.
Years after the fur headdress, horns, and face paint from January 6 have been taken off, the Arizona resident filed a statement of interest last Thursday, according to the Associated Press.
He indicated he wants to run as a Libertarian in Arizona’s 8th Congressional District election.
Republican Rep Debbie Lesk has held the seat since 2018. She announced last month that she won’t seek re-election. Republicans Blake Masters and Abe Hamadeh are also both vying for the hotly contested seat.
The man who once stormed the Capitol has undergone a series of changes since January 6.
Not only has Chansley decided that he now wants to spend more time in the Capitol building after he stormed it, but he has also disavowed QAnon — and former President Donald Trump. Later in January 2021, a lawyer for Chansley said his client felt “betrayed by the president.” He even offered to testify before Congress during Mr Trump’s second impeachment hearing.
Chansley’s announcement comes after he pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing a federal proceeding, resulting in a 41-month prison sentence in November 2021.
However, he only ended up serving 27 months, as he was transferred from a federal prison to a halfway house in Arizona for exhibiting good behaviour.
The US Constitution does not prohibit felons from holding federal office.
Chansley’s potential congressional run is a substantial pivot from his sentiment toward the legislative branch during and after the Capitol riot.
According to his statement of offense, Chansley said in the days following January 6: “The fact that we had a bunch of our traitors in office hunker down, put on their gas masks, and retreat into their underground bunker, I consider that a win.”
