QAnon Shaman Lawyer Triples Down on ‘Short Bus People’ Comment in Combative Interview with Chris Cuomo

The attorney for the “QAnon shaman” who stormed the Capitol on Jan. 6 appeared on Cuomo Prime Time Wednesday to once again defend comments he made about his clients and other rioters.

Albert Watkins, a lawyer based in Missouri who is representing accused Capitol rioter Jacob Chansley, recently gave an interview in which he said, “A lot of these defendants – and I’m going to use this colloquial term, perhaps disrespectfully – but they’re all fucking short bus people. These are people with brain damage, they’re fucking retarded, they’re on the goddamn spectrum.”

Chris Cuomo read those comments before playing a clip of Watkins’ wild interview on CNN earlier in the day in which the counselor defended his remarks:

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.

Watkins also invoked Cuomo’s name and suggested he took a page from his playbook by denigrating his client.

“Counselor Watkins,” said Cuomo to his guest, “I will gladly buy you a tube of Brylcreem or whatever you use to smooth your hair so brilliantly and luxuriously back if you can find me calling your client or any of the insurrection people crazy. I never did.”

Watkins had previously claimed Cuomo had called his client “crazy.” Cuomo said he had a transcript from the supposed offending show that proved otherwise. Chansley lawyer then tripled down on his comments, saying he was just taking a cue from Cuomo:

I should have taken your tack early on. I should have been completely devoid of compassion and patience for our countrymen, those who truly were vulnerable. By pointing that out, by trying to respectfully address the reality that we have people that are vulnerable, mentally infirm, they do have issues.

Watkins also claimed Chansley, who goes by the name Jake Angeli, was actually helping law enforcement during the riot.

“In the case of Jacob Chansley, he was helping law enforcement garner items that had been stolen from them, stopping a theft that was going on–”

“He entered the Capitol,” interrupted Cuomo. “He was flying in there with his spear. He was saying obnoxious things.”

“No, no,” replied Watkins. “That’s a mischaracterization.”

Watch above via CNN.