Judge orders psychological exam for ‘QAnon Shaman’

A Washington, D.C., federal judge has ordered Jacob Chansley, the Jan. 6 Capitol rioter known as the “QAnon Shaman,” to undergo a psychological evaluation.

In an order on Friday, Judge Royce Lamberth said there is “reasonable cause to believe that a competency exam” for Chansley is warranted.

Chansley will be transported to a designated facility for the examination. He will stay there for no longer than 30 days.

The examination will determine whether he is “presently suffering from a mental disease or defect rendering him mentally incompetent to the extent that he is unable to understand the nature and consequences of the proceedings against him or to assist properly in his defense.”

The order came after Chansley’s attorney testified in court that his mental health was declining in jail.

According to Insider, attorney Albert Watkins said that Chansley’s jail time “has taken its toll,” and that the isolation he is in now is problematic even for someone that is healthy.

Watkins reportedly requested the examination to determine Chansley’s competence.

Chansley is facing six charges in connection with the January insurrection, including disorderly conduct, entering the Capitol and demonstrating inside. He pleaded not guilty to the charges on Jan. 29.

More than 400 people have been charged in connection with the riots, which led to five deaths. Among them, Chansley has become one of the more recognizable figures, as he was seen shirtless wearing a hat with horns inside the Capitol.

Watkins recently made headlines after he told Talking Points Memo that Chansley had Asperger’s syndrome, and that a lot of the defendants are “short-bus people.” 

“A lot of these defendants — and I’m going to use this colloquial term, perhaps disrespectfully — but they’re all f—ing short-bus people. … These are people with brain damage, they’re f—ing retarded, they’re on the goddamn spectrum,” he said.