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The so-called “QAnon Shaman” who participated in the January 6 insurrection has apologized to police officers for his role in the riots, and of course Piers Morgan was there to oversee the ordeal.
Jacob Chansley, whose headdress of horns and makeup made him one of the more identifiable faces of the Capitol riots back in 2021, appeared on Morgan’s show Piers Morgan Uncensored, which has famously platformed equally problematic guests in the past. Chansley’s appearance on the show came just days after he was pardoned — alongside 1,500 criminal defendants involved in the riots — by newly elected president Donald Trump.
Now, Chansley has used Morgan’s show to offer an apology “on behalf of all January 6ers and Trump supporters” to the officers involved in policing the riot. “I don’t know if that’s happened on live television yet,” Chansley said of his apology, adding that the assault of police by rioters during the insurrection was “absolutely terrible.”
Chansley went on to address former Capitol police officer Winston Pingeon, who was also appearing on the show, and suggested that he and his colleagues may have grounds for a class action lawsuit against the “Capitol police people” who put officers “in harm’s way.” Chansley name-dropped high-ranking police officers Yogananda Pittman and Tom Manger, saying they “cover[ed] up what actually happened” on Jan. 6 and put officers like Pingeon at risk.
While Pingeon said he appreciated the apology, he also reminded Chansley of “the bigger picture,” saying rioters told him on Jan 6. that “president Trump sent us here, we’re going to get in that building.” Of course, the controversy stirrer that he is, Morgan was quick to label Chansley’s apology as an “exclusive,” but it does little to compensate not only for QAnon Shaman’s actions on Jan 6., but his comments following his pardoning earlier this week.
Announcing the news on social media, Chansley thanked Trump and declared that he “GOT A PARDON BABY!,” before delivering a concerning quip about his first post-pardon activity. “NOW I AM GONNA BUY SOME MOTHA FU*KIN GUNS!!! I LOVE THIS COUNTRY!!! GOD BLESS AMERICA!!!!,” he wrote. Chansley then declared that “JUSTICE HAS COME” for Jan 6. rioters and that “EVERYTHING done in the dark WILL come to light!”. The seeming lack of remorse only worsens in light of Chansley’s guilty plea to the felony of obstructing an official proceeding, for which he was set to serve 27 months in prison.
Chansley was among the first wave of trespassers to forcibly enter the Capitol building, and admitted to using a bullhorn to incite the rioters. He also trespassed into the Senate Floor, refused to exit the premises, and left a note on the platform which read: “It’s Only A Matter of Time. Justice Is Coming!” Doubling down on his lack of remorse, Chansley said in an interview on BBC’s Newsnight program earlier this week that he “regret[s] nothing.”
“I’m a better man because of what I went through,” he added. It’s not the first time Morgan has welcomed rage-bait guests onto his show, with controversial figures like Kevin Spacey, Armie Hammer, and Fiona Harvey each appearing on the program over the years. For his part, Trump has himself induced rage with a swathe of recent moves following his inauguration, including pardons for rioters like Chansley as well as executive orders curtailing trans protections and ending birthright citizenship.