Daniel Baldwin Defends Brother Alec Baldwin In Wake Of ‘Rust’ Tragedy: “Someone Loaded That Gun Improperly”

“Alec has no blame in this at all” said Daniel Baldwin today about his brother Alec Baldwin, who discharged a prop gun on the set of the western film Rust on Oct. 21, killing DP Halyna Hutchins and injuring director Joel Souza.

Daniel Baldwin’s comments were made today in an Instagram Live interview on The Domenick Nati Show.

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Baldwin believes that his older brother is in the clear from any wrongdoing in the death of Hutchins due to the fact that he was informed by the film’s assistant director Dave Halls that the revolver being handed over was announced as a “cold gun”.

“Remember: The actor’s an idiot,” Baldwin told Nati. “They’re there to do the acting. A number of protocols that have been made known to the public and known in this case exonerate Alec of any responsibility at all.”

“What I’m telling you is this, he (Halls) made that announcement to the set. In order to make that announcement, you should have been witnessing an empty weapon handed to you or gone over, or dry-fired the weapon,” said the Cold Case actor, “I don’t know what they did.”

“That announcement alone exonerates him (Alec) of wrongdoing,” continued Baldwin, “There was two layers of protection before Alec that both of them screwed the pooch.”

Nati asked Baldwin if he believed Alec Baldwin was being persecuted for his political views in the wake of the tragedy.

“For sure,” answered Daniel Baldwin. Former President Donald Trump went after his Saturday Night Live impersonator telling conservative radio host Chris Stigall that Alec Baldwin is a “troubled guy” and “nutjob” and that “maybe he loaded it” in regards to the gun the actor fired.

“You know Alec’s got the name, though, doesn’t he?” said Daniel Baldwin, “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.”

“This is what he faces because he’s opinionated and he’s strongheaded 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 added.

While the Santa Fe Sheriff’s office continues their investigation into the tragic incident, Rust gaffer Serge Svetnoy filed a complaint last week in L.A. Superior Court of general negligence against the production, the financiers, Alec Baldwin, armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed, Halls, property master Sarah Zachry, armorer mentor Seth Kenny and more.

“This incident was caused by the negligent acts and omission of Defendants, and each of them, as well as their agents, principals, and employers,” the complaint states. “Simply put, there was no reason for a live bullet to be placed in that .45 Colt revolver to be present anywhere on the Rust set, and the presence of a bullet in a revolver posed a lethal threat to everyone in its vicinity,” read Svetnoy’s complaint.

Gutierrez Reed’s lawyers have claimed that the armorer was sabotaged. Meanwhile, Halls told authorities that he never checked the gun before handing it to Alec Baldwin.

On Oct. 30, Alec Baldwin told a group of paparazzi following him in Vermont that the Rust production was “well-oiled” despite weapons discharges and crew resignations before the fatal shooting of Hutchins. He followed this up on Nov. 2 by reposting on his Instagram the lengthy Oct. 30 Facebook post by Rust costume designer Terese Magpale Davis who defended the indie Western, writing claims of “unsafe, chaotic conditions are bullsh*t.”

“It’s terrible, he really liked her,” said Baldwin about his brother’s sadness over Hutchins’ death, “He’s facing the loss of a life in an accident that he was involved in.”

“You can’t take back that someone loaded that gun improperly,” added Baldwin, “It’s very sad, it didn’t have to happen.”

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