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JD Vance refers to Jan. 6 “QAnon Shaman” as “a fun guy to have a beer with,” in resurfaced video

A clip of Vance at an event in 2023 shows him speaking favorably of one of the Capitol riot poster boys

Senior Culture Editor

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Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance walks on stage during a campaign event at Radford University in Radford, Virginia, on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)
Republican vice-presidential nominee JD Vance walks on stage during a campaign event at Radford University in Radford, Virginia, on Monday, July 22, 2024. (Tom Brenner for The Washington Post via Getty Images)

JD Vance is making headlines for a variety of unanticipated reasons this week — accused of both making love to a literal couch and searching online for sex-specific dolphin content. And the hits keep coming.

Amidst rumblings that Donald Trump is perhaps regretting choosing Vance as his running mate — now that Biden has made way for a stronger match with whomever the presumptive Democratic nominee, Kamala Harris, taps to join at her side in any upcoming debates — Vance's background is being heavily researched, and much of it is being served up as easy "not this guy" fodder.

The latest in a string of derogatory Vance content is a resurfaced clip from a 2023 event, in which Trump's #2 is shown referring to Jacob Chansley, AKA the Jan. 6  "QAnon Shaman," as a "fun guy" who got a bad rap for his participation in the Capitol riot.

"This guy who was sentenced to four years in prison for literally walking around in the Capitol . . . We were taught it was a crazy guy with, like, the bullhorns, you know what I'm talking about? He looked like he’d be a fun guy to have a beer with, right? The Q shaman, that's what they called this guy," Vance says in the clip, which can be seen below.

Chansley pleaded guilty to obstructing Congress during the insurrection and was ultimately sentenced to 41 months in prison. He was granted early release from federal prison in March 2023 and transferred to a halfway house in Arizona to serve until his release on May 25, 2023.  

By Kelly McClure

Kelly McClure is Salon's Senior Culture Editor, where she helps further coverage of TV, film, music, books and culture trends from a unique and thoughtful angle. Her work has also appeared in Vulture, Vanity Fair, Vice and many other outlets that don't start with the letter V. She is the author of one sad book called "Something Is Always Happening Somewhere." Follow her on Bluesky: @WolfieVibes

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