QAnon Shaman Lawyer Defends ‘Short Bus’ Comment in Bonkers CNN Interview: Getting ‘Vulgar’ Brought Issue to the Fore
CNN’s John Berman put attorney Albert Watkins through the wringer over his offensive comments about his client and other accused pro-Donald Trump rioters who stormed the U.S. Capitol.
For months, Watkins has been legally representing Jacob Chansley, one of the most recognizable people charged in the riot because of his public persona as the “QAnon Shaman.” Watkins recently gave an interview where he spoke about the kinds of legal defenses the alleged rioters have been using, but things took an abrupt turn when he started referring to the defendants — including his client — as “short-bus people” who are “f*cking retarded.”
Watkins spoke to Berman Wednesday on CNN, and the New Day host began by asking Watkins if he’d like to apologize since the word “retarded” is considered hate speech by groups such as the Special Olympics. Watkins declined the opportunity for a mea culpa, so Berman followed up by asking “How does offending millions of Americans help your clients?”
Watkins’ response:
For five months, I acted professionally. I talked to the people that needed to know. I made sure that the Department of Justice had the opportunity firsthand to meet with my client…I got nowhere. All I had to do was get vulgar. Get vulgar in a short soundbite-driven quote that permitted this very issue to come to the fore.
Berman continued by referring back to his question about whether Watkins’ use of “hate speech” serve his clients or the general public.
“I mean, you can get attention by setting your hair on fire,” Berman said. “Doesn’t mean you should do it.”
Watkins accused Berman of “pontificating” before doubling down with “I’m doing that which is necessary to put absolutely in the spotlight the fact that our nation is running a gulag, in effect taking people with vulnerabilities, with special needs, with sensitivities that put them in a category of being outside of what medical science may say is the bell curve of normalcy.”
The interview continued with Berman scrutinizing Watkins’ statements while the latter objected to the questions and said “be quiet and I’ll be happy to answer.” This also had them going head-to-head on whether there’s any evidence of correlation between mental conditions and the alleged criminal actions of January 6th.
Berman: I’ll only state again that whatever conditions you listed there, they do not cause people to commit violence. There is not evidence of that —
Watkins: There is no evidence of my client’s violence [crosstalk] It’s important when there’s a dialogue that you permit someone to talk.
Berman: You’ve talked way more than I have, counselor.
Watkins: No. All I’ve done is listen to you tell me whatever it is that you want to pontificate about. The air time here that’s important is that our nation is permitting people with vulnerabilities to be held in a gulag with 22, 23 hours a day in solitary confinement and there’s no indication or evidence of violence in the case of my client.
Watch above, via CNN.
