Elon Musk, the affluent chief executive officer of SpaceX and Tesla, as well as the proprietor of Twitter, has openly voiced his support for the liberation of Jacob Chansley, commonly known as the QAnon Shaman. Musk’s endorsement stems from the emergence of recently discovered video evidence that contradicts the prevailing depiction of Chansley as a dangerous extremist, thereby presenting a different viewpoint on his conduct.
During a segment on Fox News hosted by Tucker Carlson, previously unseen surveillance footage from January 6 was aired, revealing police officers acting as “tour guides” and calmly escorting Chansley through the Capitol building. Additional footage shared on Twitter showed Chansley urging protesters to leave the scene and go home. This caught the attention of Elon Musk, who tweeted a video of Chansley’s distinctive face paint, calling for his release from captivity.
In another tweet, Musk highlighted the existence of two justice systems in the country, which he sees as a lamentable consequence of the state of the nation since Donald Trump’s unexpected victory over Hillary Clinton in 2016. Musk questioned the fairness of Chansley receiving a four-year prison sentence for a non-violent, police-escorted tour, while other individuals involved in violent acts faced lesser penalties.
However, Musk faced criticism and accusations of aligning himself with the pro-America MAGA movement, despite his clarification that he is not a part of it. He emphasized his belief in the fairness of justice and pointed out the discrepancy between Chansley’s portrayal in the media as a violent criminal attempting to overthrow the state, and the videos showing him urging people to remain peaceful and expressing gratitude towards the officers escorting him.
Responses on Twitter varied, with some supporting Musk’s call for justice and others arguing that Chansley, who they believed sought to overturn the presidential election results, should not be set free. The controversy surrounding Chansley’s imprisonment, despite evidence suggesting otherwise, reveals a deeply divided perception of the judicial system, with some viewing it as a tool used against their political adversaries.
Scott Adams, the renowned creator of the Dilbert comic strip, took a more extreme position by urging congressional Republicans to close down Congress as a means to exert pressure on President Biden to grant a pardon to Chansley. Nonetheless, it is highly improbable that this scenario will come to fruition.
The backlash against the exaggerated claims that January 6 constituted a serious attempt to overthrow the entire U.S. government—despite the overwhelming military force at its disposal, as President Biden often emphasizes—is quickly unraveling. The credibility of the ruling class, widely despised, is being further undermined.