'QAnon Shaman' Willing to Testify at Impeachment Trial That Trump 'Incited' Him to Storm the Capitol

On January 6th, a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the United States Capitol, fueled by then-President Donald Trump's lies that the 2020 election was "stolen" from him and the Republican party.

Just before the insurrectionists began shattering windows, ransacking offices, and smearing excrement across the walls of the Capitol, Trump had addressed them at a "Save America" rally, telling them to "fight" and decrying weakness before instructing them to "peacefully and patriotically" march to the Capitol to make their misgivings known.

The riots resulted in the deaths of at least five people, and dozens of the participants were later arrested. Many of these rioters have since told authorities that Trump's words compelled them to force their way into the building.

One such person is Jacob Chansley, sometimes known as Jake Angeli or "The QAnon Shaman." Chansley went viral during and after the riots for infiltrating the Senate floor while shirtless and wearing horns.

Chansley was arrested three days after the riots and later publicly called on then-President Trump to pardon him, saying he felt he was answering Trump's call. He's since said through his lawyer—Albert Watkins—that he was "duped" by Trump.

Now—with Trump impeached by the House for a second time as a result of the riots—Senators have been sworn in to act as jurors for the former President's impeachment trial.

Speaking to The Hill, Watkins confirmed that Chansley would be willing to testify at the trial that his actions at the Capitol were incited by Trump's election lies.

It's unclear if Democrats would take him up on that offer, or if they're going to call for witnesses at all—a stark contrast from Trump's first impeachment, where Democrats resoundingly decried Senate Republicans' blocking of witnesses.

This time, they assure that Trump's actions are already widely documented, and that Senators themselves were witnesses to the chaos at the Capitol.

Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI) said:

"All of this was in plain view, what the president said, what he's done. We are the witnesses in my book. And so we're in a situation where certainly it has to have integrity and fairness, but it's a very different situation."

Whether Chansley ends up testifying or not, people scoffed that he made himself available.

Americans across the country are calling for heavy punishments for the rioters and those who peddled the lies that motivated them.

Republican Senators overwhelmingly voted in favor of a failed measure to toss out Trump's impeachment trial. The trial is expected to start on February 8th.