The victims of catastrophic flooding in Texas were still being found, the dead were still being counted, and families were still looking for loved ones when Democrats began throwing around baseless charges and blaming President Donald Trump. They instantaneously politicized the disaster by suggesting it was due to staff shortages caused by cuts the administration has been making.

Democratic strategist David Axelrod cranked up the partisan messaging machine the morning of July 6, calling the flooding “a canary in a coal mine” while linking to a story claiming “key roles” at the National Weather Service were vacant when the rains hit. ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, fresh off of paying $15 million for falsely claiming Trump raped a woman, then went on to claim “significant staffing shortfalls” that may have made the disaster worse.