Twitter owner Elon Musk expressed support for “QAnon Shaman” Jacob Chansley, based on disinformation being peddled by Fox News commentator and conspiracy theorist Tucker Carlson.
“Free Jacob Chansley,” Musk tweeted Friday night.
Chansley was sentenced to 41 months in prison in November after pleading guilty to obstructing the Jan. 6, 2021 certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the presidential election.
While the Trump-supporting activist wasn’t charged with participating in the violence at the broken doors of the U.S. Capitol, he paraded the halls carrying a six-foot spear and shouting through a bullhorn before entering the Senate chamber after police urgently escorted elected officials to safety.
Calls in defense of the failed actor have grown louder since Carlson was given exclusive footage from inside the Capitol on Jan. 6.
Capitol Police and Republican and Democratic lawmakers say Carlson has used the footage to misrepresent that day’s violence.
Carlson, who showed security video of Trump loyalists walking among law enforcement officers inside the Capitol, falsely said Chansley was escorted about the building by cops who served as “tour guides.”
Musk picked up that idea in his tweet. “Chansley got 4 years in prison for a non-violent, police-escorted tour!?” Musk tweeted on Friday evening.
Capitol Police chief Thomas Manger in a memo said Carlson presented Fox News viewers with “offensive and misleading conclusions.”
Carlson “cherry-picked” footage underscoring the fact badly “outnumbered” officers used “de-escalation” tactics to manage the chaotic situation after members of congress and the vice president were removed from the pandemonium, Manger said.
Politifact gave the claim cops “helped” people who raided the Capitol its unadulterated “Pants on Fire” rating.
Republican Sen. Tom Tillis of North Carolina, who was on Capitol Hill on Jan. 6, called Carlson’s revisionism “Bulls—t.”
Musk’s tweet further fueled aggrieved Trump supporters, including eccentric actor Randy Quaid, who tweeted the Department of Justice’s plea agreement with Chansley’s lawyer.
Musk purchased Twitter for $44 million in October, claiming he would bring integrity and equity to the platform he’s personally used to spread conspiracy theories.
