Two prominent conservatives came under fire over comments made about the massive earthquake that hit Haiti on January 12.
The Rev. Pat Robertson, a televangelist known for controversy as much as being a devout Christian, was the first to weigh in.
During a Christian Bible Network telecast, Robertson said the Haitians made a deal with the devil to free them from French colonial rule.
“They got together and swore a pact to the devil,” Robertson said. “They said ‘we will serve you if you get us free from the French.’ True story.”
The comment has drawn the ire of many, including top White House officials.
“It never ceases to amaze, that in times of amazing human suffering, somebody says something that could be so utterly stupid,” White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs told the BBC. “But it, like clockwork, happens with some regularity.”
In an effort to defend Robertson’s comments, conservative pundit Rush Limbaugh made controversial comments of his own.
Limbaugh said on his radio show that “this will play right into Obama’s hands, humanitarian, compassionate. They’ll use this to burnish their, shall we say, credibility with the black community, in both the light-skinned and dark-skinned black community in this country. It’s made to order for him.”
Gibbs also refuted Limbaugh’s statements.
“I don’t know how anybody could sit where he does, having enjoyed the success that he has, and not feel some measure of sorrow for what has happened in Haiti,” Gibbs told CBS News.