In his column for the Bulwark, former Republican National Committee official Tim Miller dumped all over Republicans who were aghast that Donald Trump suggested Gov. Ron DeSantis is a "groomer" and added that the Florida governor deserved the smear considering his history of doing the same to others.
Earlier in the week, the former president reposted a photo of the now-Florida governor onTruth Social alongside three young women that suggested his chief rival for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination was "grooming high school girls with alcohol," with Trump sarcastically adding, "That’s not Ron, is it? He would never do such a thing!"
That led DeSantis to push back by telling reporters, "I've faced defamatory stuff every single day I've been governor. That's just the nature of it," before adding, "I don't spend my time trying to smear other Republicans," while not mentioning the former president by name.
With other conservatives sticking up for DeSantis, Miller apparently felt no such compulsion to join in and instead called them out for suddenly changing their tune about making sweeping accusations of "grooming" when it comes to one of their own.
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"But for some MAGA observers there is one thing startlingly new-ish about the former president’s latest broadside. It’s his target: Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, the prized stalking horse of the conservative infotainment industrial complex," he wrote before sarcastically adding, "Oh my stars and garters."
"You have seen this move before: Remember when Trump threatened to reveal Ted Cruz’s supposed affairs? When he accused Ben Carson of being a child molester? When he falsely claimed that Jeb liked 'Mexican illegals' because his wife is one? When he alleged that Mika Brzezinski was bleeding from her face after plastic surgery? When he retweeted someone who used a #PedoBiden hashtag? Etc. Etc. Etc.," he recalled. "And yet an array of people who gleefully supported Trump for president—twice!—despite this decades-long pattern of behavior are now Very Concerned about his nastiness."
Writing that "Conservatism Inc. is only upset because Trump smeared their precious," Miller argued that their concern is, at best, hypocritical.
"... what’s particularly galling is the fact that one of the only GOP politicians who has been as wanton in making baseless accusations of pedophilia is Ron DeSantis himself," Miller wrote. "And DeSantis’ accusations haven’t even been limited to political opponents! He goes after innocent, regular folks just minding their own business, too. Not to mention public servants."
With that in mind, he called out DeSantis and his supporters over their pearl-clutching.
"These faux tough guys decided that literally anyone in America can be smeared as a groomer: teachers, drag performers, children’s hospital employees, anyone. And that’s fair game. But the moment Trump suggests DeSantis might have done something untoward, they flop on the ground like French soccer players begging for a red card. It’s hypocritical, it’s cruel, it’s pathetic. But most importantly: It’s f*cking weak," he insisted. " If anyone should be forced to weather some groomer accusations, it’s the guy whose office mainstreamed the schtick. So either clean up the act, or buck up Ronbois."
"What goes around, comes around," he lectured
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