Actor John Cusack retweets blatantly anti-Semitic post—then botches the apology with confusing follow-up tweets

Actor John Cusack shared a severely anti-Semitic post on Twitter on Monday, and in the face of backlash offered some confusing explanations and half-apologies for it.

The tweet was a cartoon showing a large hand, with the arm covered by a sleeve that had a Star of David on it, appearing to press down on a group of people.

It included a quote: "To learn who rules over you, simply find out who you are not allowed to criticize." It was falsely attributed to Voltaire, even though it was actually spoken by white nationalist Kevin Alfred Strom.

Cusack retweeted the post and added his own comment: "Follow the money."

The hours of tweets that would follow highlighted just how bad Cusack is at using Twitter. Some of his jumbled, nearly unintelligible replies included:

Blaming the tweet on a "bot": "A bot got me- I thought I was endorsing a pro Palestinian justice retweet - of an earlier post - it came I think from a different source - Shouldn't Have retweeted -"

Not making the connection between the Israeli flag and Jewish people: "Why I delete and apologized - bubba thought it was state flag- & was responding to tthat flag being used to excuse bombing of a hospital"

Acknowledging the anti-Semitism but still saying the cartoon made a good point: "it's clear that even if it was Israel's flag & even if you don't have antisemitic bone in your body, it is still an antisemitic cartoon. Because it deploys anti jewish stereotypes in its attacks on Israel, even if those critiques about state violence are legit"

Reverting to the "I wasn't paying attention" defense: "I thought someone was agreeing with a tweet - retweeted without really looking at it - bubbah"

And, eventually, an odd exchange with The Daily Wire's Matt Walsh, who discovered today that Cusack had him blocked on Twitter: