Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Ken Cuccinelli just couldn't hold himself back from trying to make the tragic Hanukkah attack about immigration after the New York Times reported the name of the alleged machete wielder.

In a tweet posted earlier today, Cuccinelli wrote, "The attacker is the US Citizen son of an illegal alien who got amnesty under the 1986 amnesty law for illegal immigrants. Apparently, American values did not take hold among this entire family, at least this one violent, and apparently bigoted, son."

Here's a screengrab I caught of reporter Will Bunch's quote-tweet:

The suspect, Grafton Thomas, was arrested in Harlem after the attack. Apparently the police originally gave out the name Thomas Grafton. Either way, Cuccinelli offered no explanation for his claim that Thomas was the son of an immigrant, much less explain why on earth that mattered.

According to his attorney, Thomas apparently has a history of schizophrenia and is not antisemitic. It sounds as if his mental state will be more relevant than his immigration status, but of course, that wouldn't fit Cuccinelli's anti-immigrant song.

At some point, Cuccinelli deleted the tweet, but it doesn't need to survive for the rumor to take hold. It was there long enough for it to be grist for the wingnut mill.