The midair collision between American Airlines flight 5342 and three soldiers aboard the Black Hawk Sikorsky H-60 was an unspeakable tragedy, as 67 people instantly died Wednesday night around 9 p.m. Yet, as the nation mourns this loss of life, some sought to cast blame for the accident immediately without having any knowledge as to why it happened and with the investigation into the crash barely beginning. It was a despicable performative practice that exploited the tragic deaths of innocent people for political gain.

The most egregious example of this was arguably Rep. Norma Torres, a Democratic congresswoman from California. Less than two hours after the accident, at 10:43 p.m., she posted a screenshot on her X account of a Democratic propaganda piece criticizing President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze the hiring of air traffic controllers. Juxtaposed over the picture were the words “Praying for all involved.” The picture and the text were under the following caption: “Praying for the families and demanding answers.”