QAnon Shaman Whines: Trump ‘Groomed’ Me and Millions of Other Americans
The most famous Capitol rioter has recently become far more willing to publicly criticize the former president than most Republican lawmakers.

Reuters/Stephanie Keith
It’s only been six weeks since “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley was swaggering around the U.S. Capitol in furs and horns at the behest of his beloved then-President Donald Trump. But, since Trump failed to offer him a pardon for his role in the Capitol riot, Chansley has become far more willing to publicly criticize the former president than most Republican lawmakers. In his latest swipe at his former hero, Chansley’s lawyer Albert Watkins wrote in a court motion that he was essentially “groomed” by Trump in the lead-up to the Capitol attack. “For years during the Trump administration, the president honed and routinely utilized his mass communication means to effectively groom millions of Americans with respect to his policies, protocols, beliefs and overwhelming fixation on all matters conspiratorial,” wrote the attorney, according to Newsweek. The motion, which argues for his client’s pre-trial release, also argues that Chansley’s “faith precludes him” from receiving a coronavirus vaccine, so he should therefore be freed for his personal safety.
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