Political analysts and observers slammed West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey, a Republican, for putting out an unconfirmed statement about the condition of two National Guard members who were shot on Wednesday near the White House.
A lone gunman shot two National Guard troops in Washington, D.C.'s Farragut Square, according to multiple reports. Initially, Gov. Morrisey tweeted out that "one did not survive the attack and the other was taken to a nearby hospital."
The governor later walked back that statement, saying his office was receiving "conflicting reports" about the condition of both troops.
Observers slammed Morrisey's retraction, claiming it did more harm than good.
"With all due respect … This seems like something you should 1000% confirm before posting the original tweet," West Virginia radio host Jonathan Martin posted on X. "Come on, Governor!"
"Look at this clown, airing rumors on here while their family members wait and wonder," writer Matthew Sitman posted on X. "Still hasn’t deleted his previous post saying they’re dead. Seriously: what’s wrong with him?"
"The Governor’s previous post should be deleted. It’s still spreading," journalist Yashar Ali posted on X.
"Obviously this is awful, but given that there's already a deluge of 'the violent left is at it again' memes coming from this incident, getting a little confirmation before tweeting might have been a good idea," independent journalist Mike Rothschild posted on X.
"Let’s continue to pray for the National Guardsmen who were injured and not rush to get information out," radio host T.J. Smith posted on X. "The suspect is in custody and the injured are being treated. If there is no threat to the community, there is no rush to push out information until it is confirmed…"