On Monday night, Tucker Carlson released shocking footage from January 6th, 2021 that showed “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley walking through the halls of the Capitol with two Capitol Police officers in tow. At one point, one of the officers takes point, appears to try opening a door or elevator, and then turns and leads Chansley in another direction. Later in the video clips, Chansley is seen walking past nine police officers gathered in a hallway intersection. Chansley and his police escorts walk right past the nine officers without any resistance.
As Brian Lupo reported earlier that this evidence was withheld from Chansley’s legal team.
1/ This is the most shocking revelation from the Tucker clips from last night. 11 USCPD officers WATCH the Qanon Shaman, by himself, walk escorted by two officers into, eventually, the Senate Chambers. pic.twitter.com/Z01K8lziyN
— CannCon (@CannConActual) March 7, 2023
On Tuesday, the Washington Post published an article focused on the Capitol Police chief calling Tucker’s claims “filled with offensive and misleading conclusions.” But buried in this article was a reference to Jacob Chansley’s own legal defense team:
Albert Watkins, Chansley’s attorney through sentencing in November 2021, said he had been provided many hours of video by prosecutors, but not the footage which Carlson aired Monday night. He said he had not seen video of Chansley walking through Capitol hallways with multiple Capitol Police officers.
“What’s deeply troubling,” Watkins said Tuesday, “Is the fact that I have to watch Tucker Carlson to find video footage which the government has, but chose not to disclose, despite the absolute duty to do so. Despite being requested in writing to do so, multiple times.” He no longer represents Chansley and said he could not comment on what remedy might be sought for the defendant. Watkins suggested that all Jan. 6 defendants who were convicted based on video from the riot should have their convictions vacated.
This very well could be a violation of the Brady Rule.
On Wednesday night Attorney Albert Watkins joined Tucker Carlson on FOX News.
Watkins told Tucker, “It’s appalling… They had a duty to provide video to me… Our Justice System is so compromised.”
Albert Watkins: The government knew through three hearings when we begged and pleaded to get this man out of solitary confinement, literally falling into an abyss mentally, and through each of those three hearings, that government assistant US. Attorney knew the most important aspect of that hearing was that Jake was not violent. The government knew. They knew that Jake had walked around with all of these police officers. They had that video footage. I didn’t get it. It wasn’t disclosed to me. It wasn’t provided to me. I requested it. I filed the requisite pleadings for it. And whether I did or not, they had a duty, an absolute duty with zero discretion to provide it to me so that I could share it with my client…
…it’s a tragedy. I mean, what’s happened is truly a dagger in the heart of our American justice system. We can’t allow it. But for you disclosing it and whether this isn’t about you, this isn’t about January 6. This is about our justice system being so compromised. The very integrity and core of that which we wore as a badge of honor for the entirety of Our nation’s history has been rendered a vile, disgusting mess by a Department of justice that was running among and they didn’t share the video of my client.
Jacob Chansley rots in prison to this day. The only crime he committed was trusting the US Justice System to protect him.
We are living in dangerous times.
Jacob Chansley’s Former Attorney Albert Watkins Joined Tucker Carlson To Discuss The New Footage Showing Chansley Being Led Through The Capitol By Police
Tucker: “Had you seen that clearly exculpatory tape of your client at trial?”
Albert: “No.” pic.twitter.com/B7cU6l3iEv
— The Columbia Bugle 🇺🇸 (@ColumbiaBugle) March 9, 2023