Elon Musk’s most recent project: defending the QAnon Shaman and his part on January 6
(image credit: getty images
With Tesla’s competition heating up, an impossible-to-met Neuralink deadline, and Twitter revenues tanking, one would think Elon Musk has his hands full.
Yet, after publicly demeaning a well-respected former employee and doubting the worker’s disability, Musk has taken on a fresh project.
During the last day, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk turned to Twitter to support Jacob Chansley, also known as the QAnon Shaman.
Chansely is one of the more well-known personalities from Jan. 6, 2021, storming of the Capitol, in which he and thousands of others attempted to reverse the presidential election results and make Donald Trump the winner.
“Free Jacob Chansley,” Musk tweeted on Friday, referring to the right-wing conspiracy theorist who helped the pro-Trump crowd in breaking into the Capitol.
Musk added a video in his tweet of Chansley dressed as the renowned QAnon Shaman, complete with face paint, a horned helmet, and a fur cap.
Chansley reads a tweet from Trump at the end of the day on Jan. 6 asking his followers to leave the Capitol and go home. In the video, Chansley states that he will cooperate with Trump’s request.
Musk also posted footage from Fox News’s Tucker Carlson Tonight, which shows Chansley following Capitol police as he enters the Senate floor.
“Chansley got 4 years in prison for a non-violent, police-escorted tour!?” Musk said in the tweet, repeating the same language that the Fox News host used in the clip.
“Dave Chapelle was violently assaulted on stage by a guy with a knife. That guy got a $3000 fine & no prison time.”
Musk defended Chansley more in answers to other Twitter users.
“Chansley was falsely portrayed in the media as a violent criminal who tried to overthrow the state and who urged others to commit violence,” tweeted Musk. “But here he is urging people to be peaceful and go home.”
“The Capitol Police literally opened the Senate chamber door for him on camera!” Musk said in another reply) about how the video was being fact-checked on Instagram. “But who are you going to believe, Instagram “fact-checkers” or your own lying eyes!?”
Musk’s new comments regarding January 6 come after Republicans, who now control the House, provided Fox News’ Carlson with hours of previously unheard security camera video.
During the week, the presenter has shown cherry-picked footage of the pro-Trump mob, which had broken down doors and windows to enter the Capitol building that day, walking around inside the building and not actually acting out violently.
