In a stunning reversal that no doubt left Nancy Pelosi and the Democrat Party, CNN, PMSNBC, The New York Times, et al. crestfallen, the Department of Justice late Friday walked back an earlier assertion that Capitol rioters planned to “capture and assassinate” Vice President Mike Pence, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, and other lawmakers.

The Justice Department official in charge of the investigation said there is no  “direct evidence” of “kill and capture teams” among the pro-Trump rioters inside the Capitol.

Michael Sherwin, acting U.S. attorney for Washington, D.C., referenced claims made in a court filing by federal prosecutors as part of their argument that Jake Chansley — AKA: Jake Angeli, “The QAnon Shaman,” “Yellow Wolf” — an Arizona man who sported a horned hat and face paint during the siege, should remain detained until his trial.

Jacob Chansley, AKA Jake Angeli, Arizona man makes first court appearance in for charges related to storming the U.S. Capitol. His mom says he hasn’t eaten since Friday because the detention facility won’t feed him all organic food. @abc15 pic.twitter.com/doTLFal4At

— Melissa Blasius (@MelissaBlasius) January 11, 2021

As begrudgingly, no doubt, reported by CNN — AKA: The Most Trusted Name in News™ [rolling-eyes emoji] — a federal prosecutor in Arizona asked a magistrate judge in a hearing on Friday to strike the line in a recent court filing about defendant Jacob Anthony Chansley, a man who is alleged to have led some in the crowd in the first wave into the Capitol with a bullhorn while carrying a spear and wearing a fur headdress.

The line the federal prosecutor wanted omitted reads as follows:

“Strong evidence, including Chansley’s own words and actions at the Capitol, supports that the intent of the Capitol rioters was to capture and assassinate elected officials in the United States Government.”

However, prosecutors let stand the assertion that Chansley left a note on the Senate Chamber dais for Pence, warning that “it’s only a matter of time, justice is coming.”

Is this a good time to ask what “unforgivable sin” Mike Pence committed, for which “justice is coming”? What did he do? What heinous crime did Pence commit that led to “Hang Mike Pence” trending on Twitter? Rhetorical questions, of course.

As we all know, Pence was in the Senate chamber presiding over the Electoral College certification — per the 12th Amendment and the Elector Count Act — when all hell broke loose.

Video of the mob chanting “hang Mike Pence.” pic.twitter.com/K4EcKK2rab

— American Times Film (@ExportedFromMI) January 9, 2021

Prosecutors also let stand the assertion that Chansley has expressed interest in returning to Washington for Joe Biden’s inauguration on Wednesday.

Despite walking back the “capture and assassinate” line in the court filing, Todd Allison, a prosecutor for the Justice Department in Arizona, said the DOJ might want to argue its original assertion if Chansley goes to trial, but he said he could not confirm that “at the moment.”

“We do not want to mislead the court by discussing the strength of any specific evidence” related to Chansley’s intent, Allison said.

The 33-year-old “QAnon Shaman” told FBI investigators he and other “patriots” from Arizona went to the Capitol “at the request of President Donald Trump.”

Chansley is due in federal court for a detention hearing on Friday. His lawyer, St. Louis lawyer Albert Watkins says Trump should pardon his client because he was just accepting the president’s invitation “with honorable intentions.”

“[Trump] invited his faithful, those who had been longstanding supporters of him and his cause, those who felt for the first time in their lives that their political voices were being heard. He’s the president. He can go wherever he wants with those that he invites.”

As for Chansley’s Halloween costume, Watkins said “His attire was consistent with his long-held Shaman beliefs.”

For those in need of a “refresher” on the definition of “shaman,” here ya go:

A person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits, especially among some peoples of northern Asia and North America.

Typically such people enter a trance state during a ritual, and practice divination and healing. While performing the ritual, the shaman (witch doctor) dances and enters into a trance.

Meanwhile, as I reported in a Friday article titled Stuff Just Got Serious: National Guard Troops Stationed at US Capitol Have Been Cleared to Use Lethal Force, Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy has authorized thousands of Guardsmen providing security in the area around the Capitol to use lethal force between now and including Inauguration Day.

You ever throw a party — and nobody showed up?