January 6 Shaman: Bull Horns Pretty Much Ended My Political Career
08:20 GMT 06.01.2025 (Updated: 08:44 GMT 06.01.2025)
© OLIVIER TOURON
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NEW YORK (Sputnik) - Jacob Angeli, known as the "shaman" from the January 6 US Capitol attack, told RIA Novosti that his political career was likely over after he became the face of the riot.
Jacob Angeli, who rose to fame as the face of the January 6 Capitol riot, told RIA Novosti he hoped US President-elect Donald Trump would pardon his supporters that took part in the attack.
Trump in a December interview with the Time magazine said that he would pardon those who stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021, "in the first hour" or "maybe the first nine minutes" of his presidency. The US Justice Department charged approximately 1,572 people in connection with the riot.
"Maybe. I hope so. He said he would. I believe he's a man of his word," Angeli said in an interview when asked whether he believes that Trump will pardon the January 6 rioters, as he has pledged.
Angeli, known colloquially as the Shaman of January 6, suggested however that pardoning every participant "may not necessarily be the best idea", calling it a "legal mistake".
He said that Trump should start an investigation first to determine who deserved pardoning, as there has been a "malevolent" intent when it comes to certain actors in the protest.
28 December 2024, 20:00 GMT
Angeli has become the most recognized participant of the January 6 rally due to his extravagant outfit, which included bull horns and a fur headdress.
"The horns and the face paint, I think, pretty much ended whatever political career I might have. But that's fine," Angeli said in an interview when asked if he had any plans to pursue a political career after a failed bid for the House seat.
Politics is like "wrestling with alligators in a swamp, so I do not regret it", he said.
In late 2023, Angeli announced that he wanted to run for US Congress but missed the deadline to submit nomination petitions.
Angeli said he was not planning to run for Congress again unless he would be asked to do that, adding that the campaigning part was a burden.
Angeli pleaded guilty to charges related to the January 6 US Capitol riot and was sentenced to 41 months in prison in November 2021. He was granted early release in spring 2023.
Jacob Angeli added that he will not attend President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration later in January because he cannot legally leave Arizona.
"I can't leave the state of Arizona without probation officer approval. So no," Angeli said in an interview when asked if he had plans to travel to the US capital for the inauguration ceremony on January 20.
Jacob Angeli added that Matthew Graves, who was in charge of the Capitol Riot investigation, made a good move when he announced his resignation prior to Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Graves announced in late December that he would resign as United States Attorney for the District of Columbia effective January 16. Trump has repeatedly criticized Graves and stood out against the prosecution. Angeli became the face of the riot due to his extravagant outfit, which included bull horns and a fur headdress.
"He's smart to resign. It's like quitting before you get fired, basically," Angeli said in an interview.
Prosecuting all the January 6 participants was his "only job", so he will be "useless" when Trump who promised to pardon his supporters who took part in the Capitol riot comes in, Angeli added.
Over 1,570 defendants have been federally charged with crimes associated with the January 6 attack when Trump’s supporters stormed the Congressional building in a bid to prevent certification of President Joe Biden's victory.
Jacob Angeli told RIA Novosti that Donald Trump’s presidency will be a crucial moment for the future of the United States which will decide if the country is moving towards prosperity or its extinction.
"Trump's administration actually is kind of like the hinge in history: we can go toward ascension and positivity, or we can go toward extinction and negativity," Angeli said in an interview.
Angeli added that he believed the path of the entire world was also dependent on the choices Trump , as well as his successor would make.
"It all depends on whom we have in charge after Trump," Angeli said.
American entrepreneur Elon Musk, a strong Trump’s supporter who is also joining his cabinet, also voiced concerns about the future of the United States, prior to the November presidential election, saying the country would be led toward extinction if Trump lost.
Jacob Angeli told RIA Novosti that he was hugely relieved after Donald Trump won the US presidential election, adding that he thought people in Ukraine and Russia should have felt the same.
"I breathed a huge sigh of relief [following Trump’s victory]. And I think everybody in Russia and Ukraine did too," Angeli said in an interview.
According to Angeli, who became the face of the Capitol riot that took place exactly 4 years ago, the only ones who did not celebrate Trump’s victory over Kamala Harris "were the hawks and the war pigs."
"Like I said, anybody paying attention to the political ecosystem saw Kamala Harris didn't have a chance," he added.
Angeli became the most recognized participant of the January 6 Capitol riot due to his extravagant outfit, which included bull horns and a fur headdress.
