Judge Upholds Conviction and Criticizes ‘QAnon Shaman’ and Carlson

In a recent ruling, a federal judge expressed his disagreement with Tucker Carlson’s portrayal of Jacob Chansley’s actions at the US Capitol on January 6, 2021. Carlson, the former Fox News host, had shown a video in March featuring the “QAnon Shaman” walking through the Capitol without being stopped by officers, claiming it proved Chansley’s innocence. However, US District Judge Royce Lamberth refused to overturn Chansley’s conviction for obstructing Congress, and also criticized Carlson for his misrepresentations, according to a report from the Hill.

In his 35-page ruling, Lamberth stated that Carlson’s show was filled with inaccuracies about the riot. The judge noted that Carlson had “explicitly questioned the integrity of this Court—not to mention the legitimacy of the entire U.S. criminal justice system—with inflammatory characterizations of cherry-picked videos stripped of their proper context.” Lamberth further commented that Carlson’s language resembled the destructive rhetoric that fueled the events of January 6. It should be mentioned that the video shown on Fox was surveillance footage provided by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, as reported by the Washington Post.

Following Carlson’s show, Chansley regretted his decision to accept a plea deal and expressed his desire to go to trial or negotiate better terms. The judge’s ruling states that if Chansley had not taken responsibility for his actions, he would have received a harsher sentence. Lamberth expressed disappointment in Chansley’s change of heart, stating that it undermined the credibility of his claims. Chansley has since completed his sentence and been released. (Read more Jacob Chansley stories.)