Alec Baldwin's Brother Daniel Has Strong Words About 'Rust' Shooting

Alec Baldwin's brother Daniel Baldwin spoke out about the Rust shooting on Monday, complaining that his brother was being used as a scapegoat in the whole ordeal. Daniel appeared on The Domenick Nati Show on the radio, where he said that Alec was taking the brunt of the criticism due to his political views. He believes his brother's A-list fame makes him an easy target as well.

"You know Alec's got the name, though, doesn't he, so let's go ahead and take Alec for his political views and the many, many wonderful things he's done for different charities and people and his wife and let's see if we can't sensationalize this and go after Alec," Daniel said, speculating about how the narrative was being directed. "This is what he faces because he's opinionated and he's strong-headed and he has really staunch views on certain things and those people who don't like him will take advantage of him and persecute his wife. He's a target."

Daniel was presumably referring to Alec Baldwin's very public dislike of former President Donald Trump, and his impression of Trump on Saturday Night Live for the last few years. Alec also endorsed former President Barack Obama in years past, and Republicans have never missed an opportunity to condemn or criticize him.

Daniel did not identify any specific critics, but he may well have been referencing Donald Trump Jr., who has not been shy about blaming Alec for the Rust shooting on social media. Trump Jr. even tweeted advertisements for a t-shirt reading: "guns don't kill people, Alec Baldwin kills people."

Outside of those extremely politicized spheres, however, few readers are assigning all the blame for this shooting to Alec — or any other single individual. The shooting was an unlikely confluence of mistakes made by an over-worked crew with limited experience in some key roles. Legally speaking, it is still under investigation, so no perpetrator has been held legally responsible yet.

Daniel said he believes the greatest fault lies with the Rust armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed, who was responsible for the firearms and ammunition on the movie set. He also believes assistant director Dave Halls has some blame, since he handed Alec the gun before the scene.

Alec has been spending time with the family of late cinematographer Halyna Hutchins since she was killed in the shooting. So far, there have been no arrests or charges filed. The investigation is ongoing.

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