Consider Donald Trump’s sycophantic supporters, tasked with acting on behalf of the former president amid his latest fiascos. It cannot be easy to defend the indefensible, although these poor partisans must try.

This week, for example, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, warned the public about a new round of breathtaking accusations: Kelly said he had seen and heard the former Republican president express personal praise for “Hitler’s generals,” among other things. and the “good things” the former president thought Hitler did. Trump’s former top aide also said Trump meets the “definition of ‘fascist'” and “prefers the dictatorial approach to government.”

How could the Republican candidate’s allies make this sound less outrageous?

Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade helped get the ball rolling by telling the “Fox and Friends” audience that Trump “might not have been fully aware” of the German generals “who were Nazis and whatever.”

As powerful and persuasive as this defense was, other Republicans apparently realized that they had to come up with some alternative arguments.

For example, Representative Mike Waltz of Florida appeared on CNN and said, referring to Kelly’s comments, “I find the timing suspicious.” I’m not entirely sure what that means, but if the Republican congressman believes the former White House chief of staff is warning voters before Election Day, I think that’s correct. I also think it’s a disappointing defense given the seriousness of the retired general’s claims.

Bill Ackman, one of Trump’s prominent billionaires, appeared on CNBC and responded to Kelly by saying the retired general is simply “one person saying a series of things.” That might be a bit more convincing if it weren’t for the fact that similar accusations have been made by many others who worked directly with the former president.

But one defense was the pièce de opposition, and was highlighted by The Washington Post:

Yes, the Republican governor of New Hampshire — a former fierce critic of Trump who occasionally embarrasses himself by downplaying the significance of the Trump scandals — isn’t concerned about the former president’s desire for “Hitler’s generals” , because that’s exactly what we did. what you’ve come to expect from Trump.

But that’s no defense. It’s the opposite. It’s the kind of thing we expect a Trump critic to say, while explaining that Kelly’s comments are part of a larger pattern.

For his part, the Republican Party’s nominee for the nation’s highest office continues to deny the allegations made by his former White House chief of staff. Through his social media platform, Trump has also criticized Kelly again, calling him “a total degenerate,” “stupid,” “a LOWLIFE” and a “bad general.”