Jake Angeli

Angeli enlisted in the United States Navy on September 26, 2005. After boot camp and training as a supply clerk, he was assigned to the USS Kitty Hawk aircraft carrier in March 2006. At some point, he refused to take an anthrax vaccine and was scheduled for dismissal from the Navy. On September 29, 2007, he was sent to a Transient Personnel Unit in Puget Sound in Washington state, and was processed out of the Navy on October 11. After two years and 15 days in uniform, his final rank was Storekeeper Seaman Apprentice.[15][16]

Angeli says that before his political activity he worked as an actor and voice-over artist, and kept a profile on the Backstage website.[5] Angeli has self-published two books: Will & Power: Inside the Living Library (Volume 1), published in 2017 under the pen name Loan Wolf; and One Mind at a Time: A Deep State of Illusion, published in 2020 under the name Jacob Angeli.[14] He produced and narrated 11 videos espousing various conspiracy theories and uploaded them to the platform Rumble in late 2020.[17]

Angeli has been a supporter of Donald Trump,[8][18][19][20] has a social media following, and has attended rallies supporting QAnon mostly in and around Phoenix.[8] At various rallies in Arizona, he shouted about QAnon conspiracy theories and carried a sign that says "Q Sent Me".[21]

Before attending far-right rallies, Angeli was noticed in 2019 for frequently protesting alone outside the Arizona Capitol, espousing various conspiracy theories.[22] He was reported as a shamanic practitioner when attending a climate activism protest in Arizona.[23] He began wearing his distinctive fur hat and face paint to attract attention so that he could then talk about QAnon and "other truths", he told The Arizona Republic in early 2020;[8] in 2021 he called his outfit "Shaman" dress.[22] He appeared at a Black Lives Matter protest in the Phoenix area in order to spread the QAnon conspiracy theory.[24] He protested COVID-19 lockdowns in Arizona.

Following the 2020 United States presidential election, Angeli's protests focused on challenging the results of the vote in Arizona.[8][25] He camped outside the Maricopa County Courthouse during the vote counting process,[26] and gave a speech at a rally there on November 7, the day that president-elect Joe Biden announced his win, declaring, "This election has not been called! Don't believe that lie! They got their hands caught in the cookie jar and we're going to the Supreme Court! Trump always looks like he's going to lose. And then he wins."[20]

Court transcripts reveal Angeli told the FBI that he had traveled to the Capitol "as a part of a group effort, with other 'patriots' from Arizona, at the request of the President that all 'patriots' come to DC on January 6, 2021".[27]

During the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol on January 6, Angeli entered the United States Senate floor in the Capitol, wearing his shamanic attire, including a horned fur headdress, and war paint in red, white, and blue, as well as carrying a six-foot-high (1.8 m) spear, with an American flag tied below the blade.[28] He was also photographed standing on the raised platform in front of Vice President Mike Pence's chair, gaining him significant media attention. He later said police had initially blocked the crowd from entry, but had then specifically allowed them entry, at which point he entered.[29] After the riot, Angeli told reporters, "The fact that we had a bunch of our traitors in office hunker down, put on their gas masks and retreat into their underground bunker, I consider that a win."[4]

On January 8, Angeli was posted as a person of interest with the Washington DC Police.[30] Interviewed while wanted, Angeli said that he believed he did nothing wrong, telling NBC: "I walked through an open door, dude."[4] On January 8, Angeli told KPNX that he "wasn't worried" about possible charges.[31] Angeli had no criminal record in Arizona before taking part in the riot.[21]

On January 9, Angeli was arrested and brought up on U.S. federal charges of "knowingly entering or remaining in any restricted building or grounds without lawful authority, and with violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds".[9] A Capitol police special agent was quoted as saying that he pegged Angeli by his "unique attire and extensive tattoos covering his arms and left side of his torso".[32] Angeli voluntarily spoke to the Washington Field Office of the FBI prior to his arrest.[33] Once in prison, Angeli reportedly refused to eat because the food served was not organic.[34] Subsequently, a court ordered that he receive organic food.[35] In a January 14 court filing, federal prosecutors said that Angeli had left a note on Pence's desk in the Senate chamber that said "It's only a matter of time, justice is coming."[36]

As of January 15, 2021, Angeli is legally represented by St. Louis attorney Albert Watkins, who had previously represented Mark and Patricia McCloskey, the couple involved in the St. Louis gun-toting controversy.[37] In a written statement, Watkins argued that Angeli had no part in the violence, did not hide his identity, was unarmed, not destructive, and followed the instructions of law enforcement officials in a respectful fashion; and that Angeli was carrying a megaphone so his voice could be heard. Watkins also said in an interview with KSDK in St. Louis, "He is responsible for his actions. He regrets where he is today", as well as suggesting President Trump pardon Angeli before the President left office.[38]

His attorney publicly called on President Trump to pardon his client,[39] arguing that Angeli had been unarmed, not violent, and not destructive, and had been acting on the "invitation" of the president.[40]

Angeli made overtures for a presidential pardon from Trump through White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows.[41] After Angeli did not get a presidential pardon from Trump, his lawyer issued a statement saying, "He (Angeli) regrets very very much having not just been duped by the President, but by being in a position where he allowed that duping to put him in a position to make decisions he should not have made."[3][41]

According to his lawyer, Angeli is prepared to testify against Trump in his second impeachment trial.[42]

After the storming of the Capitol, users on Facebook circulated rumors that said Angeli was associated with the anti-fascist Antifa movement or the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement and had infiltrated the event as an agent provocateur.[43] In a January 6 tweet from his Twitter account, USAwolfpack, Angeli responded to speculations made by Trump campaign lawyer Lin Wood: "Mr. Wood. I am not antifa or blm. I'm a Qanon & digital soldier. My name is Jake & I marched with the police & fought against BLM & ANTIFA [in] PHX."[44][45] Snopes investigated the statement, concluding that he did attend a BLM rally, that he is not affiliated with Antifa, and is an active Trump supporter.[43]

There was also speculation that Angeli colluded with Nancy Pelosi's son-in-law, Michiel Vos, seen in a photo with him outside the U.S. Capitol Building. Snopes wrote that Vos is a reporter with the Dutch free-to-air television channel RTL, and the image is from a story on the protests which Vos wrote for Dutch news program RTL Boulevard.[46]

False rumors spread as users on social media mistook Angeli for Jay Kay, the lead singer of Jamiroquai, with people referring to him as "Jamiroquai" or "Pseudo Jamiroquai".[47] This case of mistaken identity comes from a supposed visual resemblance and that Kay has worn a Native American war bonnet while performing. On the day after the Capitol attack, Kay released a short video telling his fans that he was not associated with the protest, stating "It wasn't my crowd".[22][48][49]