Case in point: U.S. Senator John McCain.
While answering questions from reporters Thursday morning, McCain literally blamed President Barack Obama for the horrific events at a popular gay nightclub in Orlando this past weekend that left 50 people dead and more than 50 wounded.
"Barack Obama is directly responsible for it, because when he pulled everybody out of Iraq, Al Qaeda went to Syria and became ISIS. And ISIS is what it is today thanks to Barack Obama's failures," the five-term senator from Arizona said.
Pressed for clarification, McCain repeated that Obama is "directly responsible, because he pulled everybody out of Iraq." McCain added that he had "predicted at the time that ISIS would go unchecked and there would be attacks on the United States of America."
According to reports from the FBI, the shooter, Omar Mateen, called police from inside the nightclub and pledged allegiance to ISIS. He also posted about the group on Facebook. Whether he had any formal ties to ISIS is under investigation, but authorities believe he was most likely "self-radicalized."
Meanwhile, McCain's critics jumped on the Senator's statement.
“Elected leaders have a moral duty to work together to root out terrorism and keep Americans safe. But today we saw John McCain cross a dangerous line in comments that undermine our Commander in Chief on national-security issues — at the very moment the president was in Orlando to comfort victims' families," said Democratic Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, who is attempting to unseat McCain in this year's Arizona Senate race.
"[McCain's] unhinged comments are just the latest proof that Senate Republicans are puppets of Donald Trump," a spokesman for Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid told the Associated Press.
McCain soon issued a statement claiming he'd misspoken:
“I misspoke. I did not mean to imply that the President was personally responsible. I was referring to President Obama’s national security decisions, not the President himself. As I have said, President Obama’s decision to completely withdraw U.S. troops from Iraq in 2011 led to the rise of ISIL. I and others have long warned that the failure of the President’s policy to deny ISIL safe haven would allow the terrorist organization to inspire, plan, direct, or conduct attacks on the United States and Europe as they have done in Paris, Brussels, San Bernardino, and now Orlando.”
But the damage was already done.
Chastising the senator from Arizona for everything from his vote in favor of the war in Iraq to the money he has received from the NRA to his support of Sarah Palin, the Twitter trolls came out in full force.
"If you can't speak responsibly about an important topic, maybe you ought to retire," tweeted @socrates_99.
"It's always misspeaking after you've taken your cheap shot," opined @Tom206Sports.
Some users likened McCain to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump: "Your blaming the President for Orlando is beneath you. Outrageous! You don't deserve re-election! Sounds like Trump remarks," tweeted @jimj02115.
Others were more blunt: "Fucking disgraceful," wrote @Leftdescending.
Here's a round-up of the more colorful tweets:
Really?!? Misspoke?? You said it multiple times @SenJohnMcCain RETIRE NOW!!
— Melissa Fazli (@HitsandMisses) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain keep walking that back. I think you voted for the war that destabilized Iraq in the first place.
— Paolo Bacigalupi (@paolobacigalupi) June 16, 2016
Dear John McCain,
— (((Mark Campbell))) (@MrWordsWorth) June 16, 2016
Would you like to salvage a tiny sliver or your dignity or just burn it all down now?
@SenJohnMcCain on the bright side, picking @SarahPalinUSA is now the 2nd dumbest thing you've ever done
— debone44 (@debone44) June 16, 2016
don't worry @SenJohnMcCain nobody in their right mind would listen to a guy who picked @SarahPalinUSA as his running mate.
— wheatus (@wheatus) June 16, 2016
.@SenJohnMcCain pic.twitter.com/9oQX9esqX3
— Caitlin Kelly (@caitlin__kelly) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain And how is the radicalization of the son of immigrants from the 1980s directly or indirectly or in-indirectly Obama's fault?
— Robert Lane Greene (@lanegreene) June 16, 2016
.@SenJohnMcCain, you lying puke. You know your base wanted to hear it. So you said it. You should resign. #deleteYoirAccount
— Fred Mertz (@S3nt13ntB31ng) June 16, 2016
Delete your account, @SenJohnMcCain
— Thomas Levenson (@TomLevenson) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain Senator, come on. Have some God damned dignity. This is bullshit opportunism on your part. Beneath you.
— Dan (@DKinMN) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain pic.twitter.com/oXL7WxGQCy
— Joe (@JoeAlv) June 16, 2016
.@SenJohnMcCain While @POTUS was comforting the bereaved, you said he was "directly responsible" for the massacre. You more than "misspoke".
— Litsa Dremousis (@LitsaDremousis) June 16, 2016
. @SenJohnMcCain Hey, it's tough operating without a soul or a conscience, so we understand how broken & irrelevant you are post-Trump.
— Nathan Rabin (@nathanrabin) June 16, 2016
.@SenJohnMcCain I couldn't find the part where you disclose that you're the single largest recipient of @NRA donations???
— alex (@alexlath) June 16, 2016
.@SenJohnMcCain We all make mistakes. Rough day. Shake it off. Take that $7.7 million in NRA money and treat yourself to a spa day.
— Pat Barker (@patbarkercomedy) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain you "misspoke" when you endorsed #trump & #palin for leadership jobs they can't effectively perform to protect your own.
— Brit Smith (@BritSmith1215) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain Actually, President Obama *opposed* invading Iraq.
— reflectionephemeral (@R_Ephemeral) June 16, 2016
That's why he's the president.
@SenJohnMcCain And having dipped your toe in Trump crazy water you quickly back off. Too late.
— Willing to discuss (@buffsblg) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain pic.twitter.com/dQF947iC46
— Rod Green (@thetheRedundant) June 16, 2016
@SenJohnMcCain can you explain the difference between Obama's decisions vs Obama himself ?#IsYourMindOkJohn?
— Dividend Master (@DividendMaster) June 16, 2016
.@SenJohnMcCain What, did he suggest arming ISIL? Oh, no, wait, that was you.
— Keith Lowell Jensen (@keithlowell) June 16, 2016
You can't convince me John McCain doesn't use a spin wheel to make decisions. pic.twitter.com/AXjYkh90VA
— Matt Fernandez (@FattMernandez) June 16, 2016