Consider Donald Trump’s sycophantic supporters, whose job it is to lobby on the former president’s behalf amid his latest fiasco. It can’t be easy to defend the indefensible, even if these poor followers still have to try.

This week, for example, Trump’s former White House chief of staff, retired Gen. John Kelly, alerted the public to a new round of stunning allegations: Kelly said he saw and heard the former Republican president privately praise, among other things, “Hitler’s generals.” ” and the “good things” the former president thought Hitler did. Trump’s former top adviser also said Trump meets the “definition of ‘fascist'” and “favors the dictatorial approach to government.”

How would the GOP candidate’s allies make this sound less scandalous?

Fox News’ Brian Kilmeade helped get the ball rolling by telling the “Fox and Friends” audience that “maybe” Trump wasn’t fully “aware” that the German generals were “Nazis and whatnot.” “always” were.

As powerful and convincing as that defense was, other Republicans apparently recognized that they needed to make alternative arguments.

Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, for example, appeared on CNN and said in reference to Kelly’s comments, “I find the timing suspicious.” I’m not entirely sure what that meant, but if the Republican congressman believes that the former chief of staff to White House warns voters before election day, then I think that’s right. I also think it’s a disappointing defense given the seriousness of the retired general’s claims.

Bill Ackman, one of Trump’s prominent billionaire supporters, appeared on CNBC and responded to Kelly by saying the retired general was simply “a person who says a bunch of things.” This might be a little more convincing if many others who worked directly with the former president hadn’t made similar allegations.

But one defense was the pièce de résistance, and it was highlighted by the Washington Post:

Yes, New Hampshire’s Republican governor — a former harsh Trump critic who occasionally embarrasses himself when he tries to downplay the significance of Trump scandals — isn’t worried about the former president’s desire for “Hitler’s generals.” , because that is exactly what we have as expected from Trump.

But that’s not a defense. It’s the opposite. It’s the kind of thing we’d expect from a Trump critic who explains that Kelly’s comments are part of a larger pattern.

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