- Andrew Tate's lawyer said his was skeptical of his client's conspiratorial posts.
- Tate has attributed his arrest in Romania to a conspiracy by "The Matrix."
Andrew Tate's lawyer distanced himself from his client's conspiratorial claims that "The Matrix" is behind the criminal investigation into him.
The lawyer, Eugen Vidineac, appeared uncomfortable with Tate's words when asked about them in an interview with the Turkish public broadcaster TRT World.
The interview was broadcast Thursday, but took some days to spread. The exchange about "The Matrix" appeared in a clip posted to YouTube on Friday.
Tate has made repeated references to "The Matrix," referring to a dark but vague conspiracy against him like in the 1999 movie.
When asked about it, Vidineac laughed and said he didn't know what the references meant.
"I have serious profession and I didn't ask my client about this Matrix story because I think it is about something on media platforms or internet platforms," Vidineac said.
When the interviewer said that Tate seems to think a global network of tech platforms and governments are trying to silence him, Vidineac said he did not think that was the case.
"If we are talking about my client's beliefs, you should ask him at the proper time about this matter," Vidineac said. "This matter it doesn't have anything to do with my activity as a lawyer."
Romanian authorities arrested Tate, his brother Tristan, and two Romanian women on December 29, alleging that they trafficked and manipulated women as part of their webcam business.
The allegations included one claim of rape. The group is due to stay in jail for the rest of January after a judge denied their request to be released while the investigation continues.
Tate's Twitter account has been posting throughout his arrest and detainment, suggesting the events are a dark conspiracy. Not long after his arrest, the account tweeted that "The Matrix sent their agents."
He also tweeted that the Matrix "attacked" him after reports suggested he had been sent to hospital.
Elsewhere in the TRT interview, Vidineac said his clients do not recognize the allegations against them, and were providing investigators with evidence.
He also said all the women in the houses investigators raided had access to their own phones and were not kept inside against their will.
Vidineac also pushed back at news coverage focusing on past video clips of Tate willingly describing manipulating women into creating porn for his business, suggesting it should not be taken seriously.
"Are you talking about the real Andrew Tate in those videos, or are you talking about a character?" he said. "Because in my point of view nowadays a lot of people are posting content on the internet just to sell an image, a character. I'm not sure that we are talking about the real person Andrew Tate."
Vidineac also said it was too early to say whether the case against Tate is strong or not because the investigation has not finished.
At the end of the interview Vidineac said Tate was "disappointed" but willing to help "the investigators find the truth."