Jones should, of course, be bled white. In this matter, he is unquestionably on the wrong side of the law, to say nothing of the law’s very distant relation, morality. His culpability is beyond doubt, though it has been very entertaining to observe the evolution of his excuses in this and related matters, first claiming to be in the grip of some “psychosis,” then insisting that he could not effectively defame anybody because nobody would be so monumentally stupid as to take him at his word.

It is worth noting the utter cowardice at work there, which is one of the most powerful political and cultural influences of our time.

It’s no coincidence Jones has in effect offered for himself the same justification that many of Donald Trump’s admirers put forward in his defense, which is, to borrow from Salena Zito, that he should be taken seriously but not literally. He isn’t a habitual liar — he’s just “owning the libs,” sticking a thumb in the eye of elite sensibilities, whatever. Trumpism, like Alex Jones-ism and its left-wing equivalents, is built on defamation, and its foundation is the confidence that such defamation imposes no real cost on those who traffic in it.