Trump Busy Throwing His Closest Allies Under The Bus: Truthout

Like Julius Caesar, defeated US President Donald Trump is washing his hands clean of any responsibility for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot that he had instigated, telling a court hearing the case filed by eight Capitol policemen assaulted by Trump fans, arguing that speakers at political rallies don’t have a “legally enforceable duty of care” to adversaries or others “who might find themselves in the path of impassioned supporters.”

Photo Insert: For starters, Donald Trump pushed back on right-wing commentator Candace Owens' suggestions that vaccines were somehow flawed or dangerous.

Trump argued in a court filing that the lawsuit should be tossed out because Trump isn’t “vicariously liable” for the actions of people who heard him speak at a “Stop the Steal” rally before the siege.

Trump’s defense team indicates they plan to lay responsibility for the whole thing at the feet of the Proud Boys and other right-wing groups, William Rivers Pitt reported for Truthout.

With these filings, Trump is handing the bag directly over to groups, including the Proud Boys, which have been his staunchest and most menacing allies.

Last week, it was Trump parting ways with the anti-vax brigades, a move that went over with them about as well as a pole-vaulting sack of cement. Sitting for an interview with right-wing commentator Candace Owens, Trump pushed back hard on her suggestion that the vaccines were somehow flawed or dangerous.

“Oh no, the vaccines work,” he replied, “but some people aren’t the ones. The ones who get very sick and go to the hospital are the ones that don’t take the vaccine. But it’s still their choice. And if you take the vaccine, you’re protected. Look, the results of the vaccine are very good, and if you do get it, it’s a very minor form. People aren’t dying when they take the vaccine.”

Vile conspiracy monger Alex Jones immediately spoke for many within the anti-vax brigades in a scathing Christmas Day message. “But now that you know that [Anthony] Fauci signed you onto a fraud, you must extricate yourself from this lie, or you will be forever known as the "MVVP," the Most Valuable Vaccine Pusher, and the name Trump will be associated with pure evil,” ranted Jones.

“Do not go down history as Josef Mengele 2.0. Your legacy will be that of a monster. Your legacy will be that of a eugenicist. Your legacy will be that of a child killer, using medical tyranny.”

Donald Trump seems to be running out of friends at an accelerating rate, and it is his own behavior that is creating the distance. It’s a strange decision tree he’s climbing, and puts one in mind of the old saying: What do you call a leader with no followers? Just a guy taking a walk.

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