In a statement that at best can be described as insensitive, former US Representative Michele Bachmann has compared Barack Obama to the Germanwings co-pilot that is believed to have deliberately crashed a jet into the French Alps, killing himself and 149 others.
In a message posted to Facebook on 31 March, Ms Bachman suggested that the US president is intentionally hurting the US people in the Iranian nuclear negotiations.
“With his Iran deal, Barack Obama is for the 300 million souls of the United States what Andreas Lubitz was for the 150 souls on the German Wings flight - a deranged pilot flying his entire nation into the rocks,” Ms Bachmann wrote. “After the fact, among the smoldering remains of American cities, the shocked survivors will ask, why did he do it?”
Lubitz was the co-pilot who investigators say locked himself in the cockpit of a Germanwings jet and intentionally descended and accelerated into the French Alps, killing everyone on board. Recent reports indicate that Lubitz struggled with depression and had researched suicide methods in the days leading up to the crash.
Flowers are left in front of the monument in homage to the victims of Germanwings Flight 4U 9525 in Le Vernet, southeastern France
Andreas Lubitz was deemed ‘unsuitable for flight duties’ for a period of time during his training with Lufthansa and was receiving regular treatment for depression, sources have claimed as investigators focus their inquiry on his personal life and background
People believed to be relatives of the deceased crew on Germanwings flight 4U9525 comfort each other at a reception centre in Le Vernet, France
Rescue workers gather with friends and relatives of those killed onboard Germanwings flight 4U9525 at a reception centre in Le Vernet, France
Flags representing some of the nationalities of the victims are seen as family members and relatives gather near the crash site of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
German and Spain flags symbolizing some of the nationalities of the victims are seen as family members and relatives gather for a ceremony in Le Vernet near the crash site of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Flags symbolizing some of the nationalities of the victims, are seen near the memorial stele in Le Vernet during a ceremony to pay tribute to the victims of an Airbus A320 in the French Alps
French gendarmes and investigators make their way through debris from wreckage on the mountainside at the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
French gendarmes and investigators work amongst the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
French gendarmes and investigators make their way through the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
Wreckage of the Airbus A320 is seen at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
A body of a victim is evacuated by a French Gendarmerie rescue helicopter from the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
Rescue workers recover bodies of victims from the crash site of an Airbus A320, near Seyne-les-Alpes
French military personnel work amongst the debris of the Airbus A320 at the site of the crash, near Seyne-les-Alpes, French Alps
A helicopter of the French Gendarmerie flies over the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes, southeastern France
Search and rescue workers make their way through debris at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 that crashed in the French Alps, above the town of Seyne-les-Alpes, southeastern France
Flowers and lit candles are placed on the ground in Cologne Bonn airport
Reuters
Victims’ relatives join carers outside the school gym in Seyne
Getty Images
Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr, left, and Germanwings CEO Thomas Winkelmann arrive for a press conference near the Germanwings headquarters in Cologne, Germany
Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot that crashed the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Facebook
Buses loaded with relatives of victims are escorted after their arrival at Marseille airport, southern France
Family and relatives of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the Alps are taken on bus to the Prat airport from a hotel in Castelldefels in Barcelona, Spain, to take a Lufthansa flight to visit the crash site in Seyne les Alps in France
An Airbus plane of German airline Lufthansa carrying onboard relatives of the Germanwings plane crash victims takes off from the Duesseldorf airport in Duesseldorf, western Germany, en route to Marseille
A Germanwings employee places flowers in commemoration of the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps, at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
Members of German Government Chancellor Angela Merkel, Vice Chancellor and Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, from right, hold a minute of silence to commemorate the victims of the Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps at the parliament Bundestag in Berlin, Germany
Realtives of passengers of the Germanwings airliner that crashed in the French Alps leave the Gran Hotel Rey Don Jaime towards Barcelona El Prat airport where a lufthansa plane will fly to Marseille, in Barcelona, Spain
Olivier Cousin (R), director of the mountain rescue team, which is responsible for the safety of the emergency workers on site, gives an interview in Seyne Les Alpes, France
Alpine climbers take off in a police helicopter in Seyne Les Alpes
German Chancellor Angela Merkel (L), French President Francois Hollande (C) and Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy pay respect to victims in front of the mountain in Seyne-les-Alpes, the day after the air crash of a Germanwings Airbus A320
A member of the search and rescue personnel stands at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Reuters
A sealed container holds black box from the German Airbus operated by Lufthansa's Germanwings budget Airbus A320 crash
The voice data recorder of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps
The voice data recorder of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps
Germanwings employees cry as they place flowers and lit candles outside the company headquarters in Cologne Bonn airport
A student who knew some of the German students involved in a crashed plane, reacts during a minute of silence in front of the council building in Llinars del Valles, near Barcelona, Spain
Photograph of victims, flowers and candles stand outside the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school where pupils had gathered to pay tribute to 16 students and two teachers from the school who were on Germanwings flight 4U9525 that crashed yesterday in southern France on March 25, 2015 in Haltern, Germany
Pupils gather at the Joseph-Koenig-Gymnasium high school to pay tribute to 16 students and two teachers from the school who were on Germanwings flight 4U9525 that crashed yesterday in southern France in Haltern, Germany
Students gather in front of the Josef-König secondary school in Haltern am See, western Germany, where some of the Germanwings plane crash victims studied
Getty Images
A Lufthansa employee signs in a condolence book in Frankfurt, Germany
The flags of (L-R) Aragon, Spain and the European Union are lowered to half-mast at the Regional Assembly of Aragon in Zaragoza, Spain, as a sign of respect for the victims of the German plane crash in the French Alps
The German and the European Union flags hang at half mast in memory of the victims of the plane crash in France in front of the Federal Chancellery in Berlin, Germany
French President François Hollande with Spain’s King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia pay their respects to the victims of the German plane crash in the French Alps
Reuters
Debris from the Germanwings Airbus A320 at the crash site in the French Alps above the southeastern town of Seyne
Getty Images
Search and rescue personnel at the crash site of the Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps
Getty Images
Wreckage and debris lie on the mountain slopes after the crash of the Germanwings Airbus A320 over the French Alps
EPA
Staff members of Germanwings and Lufthansa hold a candlelight vigil outside their headquarters in Cologne
Getty Images
A photo provided by the French Gendarmerie shows the crash site in the French Alps
A rescue helicopter from the French Gendarmerie flies over the French Alps, as day fades into night near to the crash site of the Airbus A320
Reuters
A general view of the crash site of a Germanwings Airbus A320 in the French Alps above Seyne-les-Alpes is pictured in this photo provided by the French Gendarmerie
Family members of people involved in a crashed plane arrives at the Barcelona airport in Spain
AP/Emilio Morenatti
Rescue helicopters from the French Gendarmerie and the Air Force are seen in front of the French Alps during a rescue operation near to the crash site
Reuters
A helicopter of the French National Gendarmerie is seen in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images
French emergency services workers (back) and members of the French gendarmerie gather in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
BORIS HORVAT/AFP/Getty Images
An helicopter of civil security services is seen in Seyne, south-eastern France, near the site where a Germanwings Airbus A320 crashed in the French Alps
ANNE-CHRISTINE POUJOULAT/AFP/Getty Images
Relatives of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive escorted by police officer at Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport in Barcelona
David Ramos/Getty Images
Relatives of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrive at Terminal 2 of Barcelona El Prat airport in Barcelona, Spain
David Ramos/Getty Images
Relatives of passengers killed in Germanwings plane crash arrive at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
AP/Frank Augstein
Police escort a family member of an aircrash victim at Barcelona's El Prat airport
LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images
French firefighters prepare to take-off in Digne-les-Bains for the crash site of an Airbus A320, in the French Alps
REUTERS/Jean-Paul Pelissier
A family member of a passenger killed in Germanwings plane crash reacts as he arrives at Barcelona's El Prat airport
REUTERS/Albert Gea
People arrive at a holding area for friends and relatives of passengers on Germanwings flight 4U9525 from Barcelona to Dusseldorf at Dusseldorf International Airport in Dusseldorf, Germany
Sascha Steinbach/Getty Images
People waiting for flight 4U 9525 are lead away by airport staff at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
A relative (C) of passangers of the Germanwings plane crashed in French Alps arrives at the Terminal 2 of the Barcelona El Prat airport
David Ramos/Getty Images
A man who appears to have waited for the missing flight 4U 9525 reacts at the airport in Duesseldorf, Germany
AP/Frank Augstein
epa04676936 A man looks at a monitor showing a map released on the webpage 'flightradar24 with the exact point where the radar signal of the crashed Airbus A320 aircraft operated by German budget airline 'Germanwings' went missing near Barcelonnette, in the department of Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, in Madrid, Spain
EPA
President Obama on Thursday announced a tentative agreement with Iran over reducing economic sanctions against the country in exchange for a long-term reduction in nuclear capabilities.
US Republicans, like Bachmann, have condemned the Iran deal, saying it does not go far enough in preventing the Islamic country from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Follow @PaytonGuion on Twitter.
Join our new commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies