Tucker Carlson’s Jan. 6 footage shows Capitol Police escorting ‘QAnon Shaman’ to Senate chamber

Newly released footage from Jan. 6, 2021, shows Capitol Police officers escorting Jacob Chansley, also known as the "QAnon Shaman," to the Senate chamber during the riot, according to Tucker Carlson's Fox News show on Monday night.

The footage revealed that the officers walked Chansley through the halls of the Capitol, and at one point, seven other police officers barely gave him a second look.

Carlson was granted access by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy to 40,000 hours of surveillance footage from that day inside and around the Capitol, which has never been seen before by the public.

“The tapes show the Capitol Police never stopped Jacob Chansley. They helped him. They acted as his tour guides,” said Carlson.

The officers are seen escorting Chansley to various entrances of the chamber, and eventually, they help him open a door, and he enters the chamber.

Chansley, who was unarmed, has been jailed for almost four years for "obstructing an official proceeding." In a jailhouse interview played by Carlson, he expressed regret for believing that when they were waved in by police officers, it was acceptable.

As reported by CNBC in 2021, Chansley pleaded guilty in to a single count of obstructing a proceeding of Congress, nearly eight months following his bizarre appearance during the riot at the Capitol with a throng of other Trump supporters. 

The Capitol Police suggested that one of the officers with Chansley was trying to "de-escalate" the situation because he was outnumbered. However, this does not explain why Chansley was able to walk past seven more officers without being apprehended.

Carlson questioned, "If he was in the act of committing such a grave crime, why didn't the officers standing right next to him place him under arrest?"

The footage was part of a series of five stories based on the footage over two nights that he says "demolishes" the Democratic narrative of the January 6 “insurrection” of the US Capitol.

Democratic lawmakers such as Rep. Jamie Raskin of Maryland have accused Carlson of posing a "serious security risk" and being a "pro-Putin, pro-Orban, pro-autocrat propagandist." Raskin argued that not all footage was released due to security concerns. However, Carlson's team says the footage has been vetted by congressional authorities to ensure it does not pose a security risk.