Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina appears to have very strong feelings about Jacob Chansley (a.k.a. the “QAnon Shaman”).
Last week, Chansley, who was photographed bare-chested and wearing a set of animal horns inside the U.S. Capitol on January 6, offered to testify against former President Donald Trump at his upcoming second impeachment trial.
Chansley, who only eats organic foods, is currently facing multiple charges, including disorderly conduct, violent entry, and illegally being on restricted spaces within the Capitol grounds, for his alleged role in the insurrection.
According to his attorney, Chansley was “horrendously smitten” with Trump prior to the events of January 6, but now feels “like he was betrayed” after the ex-president didn’t pardon him.
But evidently, hearing about Chansley’s plan has upset Graham, and he now appears hellbent on making sure the testimony absolutely, positively never happens.
“I cannot think of a better way to turn the upcoming impeachment trial into a complete circus than to call the QAnon Shaman as a witness on anything,” Graham tweeted.
I cannot think of a better way to turn the upcoming impeachment trial into a complete circus than to call the QAnon Shaman as a witness on anything.
https://t.co/0CJ1PfuvlA— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 29, 2021
He followed that up with a second tweet, saying, “The House impeached President Trump without a witness. If we open the witness door in the Senate there will be lots of witnesses requested on a variety of topics. And the trial will go for months, not days.”
The House impeached President Trump without a witness.
If we open the witness door in the Senate there will be lots of witnesses requested on a variety of topics. And the trial will go for months, not days.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 29, 2021
Clearly, Graham feels very strongly about keeping Chansley as far away from Trump as possible, not unlike the way a jealous wife might act toward her husband’s lover.
What makes his strong opposition even weirder is that nobody is even suggesting Chansley testify other than Chansley himself. So it’s not like it’s really within the realm of possibility.
But Graham’s freaking out anyway.
Trump’s second impeachment trial is scheduled to begin on Monday, February 8. Over the weekend, his entire legal team quit, forcing him to frantically search for new lawyers willing to represent him.
Graham Gremore is the Features Editor and a Staff Writer at Queerty. Follow him on Twitter @grahamgremore.
Toofie
LG is just desperate to throw things out there to distract. You can only imagine what the previous administration has in him for Lindsey to continue to grovel.
Low Country Boy
I am a gay South Carolina lawyer. For Lindsey Graham, as an attorney, to make a call to turn ANY legal proceeding into a “circus,” is against his oath as an attorney. Miss Graham needs to be disbarred.
Monkey1
I think he’s calling for the trial to not turn into a circus. He’s saying that if Horn Man is brought in as a witness, the trial will become a circus… so they should not do it.
Lightbulb
I think Miss Leningrad Lindsey will soon be calling for the trial to be postponed because the Draft Dodger in Chief needs more time. Let us not forget that Bruce Castor from Philly area and former DA is not to be trusted…he did the dirty secret deal with convicted rapist Bill Cosby so everything would be hush hush. Sorry Bruce the cat came out of the bag and he was caught. In true Dumpster spirit he DENIED any wrong doing? They deserve each other.
Openminded
Low Country, as an attorney, would you ever disclose to the other side that there was anyone you didn’t want to be called as a witness? Seems like he’s begging the Demos to call Horny guy as a witness. Is he that stupid, is it a setup of some sort to sucker the Demos into calling him as a witness, or am I just reading too much into his statement?
Lightbulb, I wondered the same thing when I heard about the firing. By not hearing any press discussing the possibility, I’m thinking the Senate hearing can’t be postponed on this type grounds, unlike your typical trials which seem to be mandatory to postpone for any reason. But, that’s just a guess. We will know in a week.
Low Country Boy
Openminded, I don’t think Lindsey is stupid; to the contrary, I think he is politically very astute. That said, his actual trial skills and knowledge of legal ethics are sorely lacking, especially the latter. The only reason he gets away with it is that this state is entirely dominated by the GOP. Remember: Our former Governor Mark Sanford left the state for four days without telling ANYONE, including his security detail, where he was going so he could fly to Argentina to have an affair with his mistress. And he used a state car to do it too. All he got was a censure. I don’t know, but when I was an officer in the Navy and if I pulled a stunt like that, I would have been in the brig and dishonorably discharged. Aunt Piddy-Pat Graham is like teflon here for the time being. Now if only some enterprising journalist could get pictures and flight itineraries of Miss Graham hooking up with her alleged boyfriend in Asheville, NC, maybe she would step down and let non-Trump ass kissers take over.
Kangol2
Lady G probably wants to be Q-Anon Shamaned back into the 19th century days of plantations, pistol duels and chattel slavery, but he also realizes if Chansley gets to testify before the Senate, under oath, and starts singing about how Don the Qon urged him and his fellow fascist coup insurrectionists to storm the Capitol and overthrow the legitimate votes of 81 million Americans, it could doom traitor Donny Two Scoops faster than you can say Benito Mussolini. So Senator Lady G wants to keep Chansley and all the other Qon qultists out of that trial and let things play out with the psycho and his lawyers trying to defend him themselves. If Republiqans don’t really hate free speech or aren’t trying to cancel Chansley and his fascist ilk, let them testify against Don the Qon!
Cam
Because he’s a closet case.
LMG
I’d be willing to bet that Lindsey secretly wishes that he could ride Chansley’s horns.
Aunt Sharon
Agreed. Some meds and a tub of cold cream and he’d be the guiltiest of pleasures.
Creamsicle
“We can’t allow evidence in this trial because there is so much evidence and so many witnesses to go through that we’ll never finish the trial!”
Not the argument you really want to be making, is it?
Openminded
Doesn’t sound like something I’d be saying publicly if I wanted to protect Trump from impeachment, but I’m no lawyer. The fact that he made a public statement to this effect makes me wonder what the ulterior motives are, otherwise he would have just kept that thought to himself and made sure those in his party didn’t call horny man as a witness. It’s not like politicians regularly advise the public on every thought they have for no reason.
Mack
Face it, if the Republicans put the COUNTRY before PARTY, Trump would have already been convicted in the first impeachment. We need to start calling the Republican Party the American Nazi Party.
blackhook
Is there anyone more strange than Light-In-The-Loafers Lindsey Graham? I rest my case.
justgeo
All I wanna do is wipe my ass with the MC pic hate the bitch big time.
WSnyder
Regardless of any witnesses, or evidence, facts or proof presented, this is already circus since so many GOP Senator’s have already made their decision and facts or evidence be damned.
Frankly, I hope they can’t convict Trump because by letting him off the hook, they further damn the entire GOP to the miserable fate it deserves.
1
cuteguy
Lady G has suppressed her feelings for so long that she has diminished the line between reality and whatever world she is living in. She wants to suppress a witness that hasn’t even been called upon to testify. It was the same with all that whining before the November election. This is what happens when a person lives a lie for so long.
irbaboon
Q-Anon Shaman : The White Trash Mr.Tumnus
The big sky
Now that did actually make me LOL.
Fahd
It was freezing cold in Washington DC on January 6th when the Capitol was attacked. Did this guy really attend Trump’s incitement speech, walk to the Capitol, and then participate in the violently, unauthorized entry – all without a shirt on? Not a medical doctor, but it seems to me that only a truly mentally ill person of someone who was on drugs (maybe organic drugs) would have been able to tolerate that much exposure to the cold – scary stuff.
Kangol2
If you’ve ever spent any time in northern parts of the US you wouldn’t be surprised by this at all. In places ranging from Minneapolis to Chicago to Cleveland to Boston to New York City, I’ve seen people in tank tops, t-shirts, flip flops, sandals, shorts (not uncommon), open shirted, etc. on extremely cold days–& not just for a few minutes doing a polar plunge! Not sure how they do it but Q-anon Shaman’s shirtless parade in that cold air wouldn’t be unprecedented.
CoreyW
I’m sure Lindsay just wants to put his hand on the shirtless shaman’s chest and say “back off, you bad, shirtless man! Back off!”
Low Country Boy
Stop it! Now you are turning me on (with Lindsey Graham recast with Chris Hemsworth).
inbama
I have to admit, I like his chest hair.
And that photo with his head held backward showing that wide-open mouth, those perfect teeth and that deep throat, well….
Prax07
That shaman nutjob is definitely bonkers, but love his body (minus the tats). Wouldn’t say no to seeing a leeked sex vid of him.
Liquid Silver
If he weren’t evil… Yeah.
Jim
Trump needs to be tried and ALL the evidence made public.
Is it constitutional? Probably
It is definitely necessary for us to move forward