Watch: Capitol Defendant’s Attorney Says Detainees Are Being Subject To “Torture!” In Contentious CNN Interview

An attorney for one of the defendants charged with infiltrating the U.S. Capitol building on January 6th alleged that his client and others are being brutally tortured “five miles from the White House” in an awkward interview on CNN Tuesday.

Joseph McBride was asked for comments relating to the eight month prison sentence given to Paul Hodgkins for merely walking into the building and sitting at Nancy Pelosi’s desk.

McBride, who represents another of the accused told CNN host John Avlon that “there are people who showed up to attack the Capitol, there are people who showed up to protest, and there are people who showed up to protest that got involved with the greater events of that day. And it is very important not to lump everybody in, not to define every protester that showed up that day as an insurrectionist — which, by the way, no one has been charged with.” 

Avlon then asked McBride about a comparison he made between the conditions the suspects are being held in and Nazi gulags, pouring scorn on the notion.

McBride urged that “People are being tortured. Tortured!” asking Avlon “Are you OK with people being tortured five miles from the White House?”

Avlon responded by saying that the claim was “an extraordinary statement that would seem to be utterly un-based in fact.”

McBride shot back yelling “Torture is never OK! TORTURE! TORTURE! TORTURE! TORTURE! TORTURE!” prompting Avlon to end the interview

“Keep yelling torture. We’ll stick with the facts,” he said.

“The facts are torture!” the attorney yelled back.

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