Last week, the public got a rare glimpse at the art of spinning a federal natural disaster response. On Friday, Bloomberg reporter Christopher Flavelle published excerpts from internal Pentagon emails he accidentally received, in which officials at the Defense Department and Federal Emergency Management Agency discussed their press strategy for the government’s flailing relief effort in Puerto Rico. Flavelle was included on these messages for five days, despite his repeatedly alerting Pentagon officials of their error. Ultimately, he decided to publish them, noting that they offered “a glimpse into the federal government’s struggle to convince the public that the response effort was going well.”

The emails also showed how public affairs officers had to adapt each day to deal with President Donald Trump’s blustery, unpredictable rhetoric. “Much of recent media coverage is focused on the dialogue between POTUS and San Juan’s mayor,” read one advisory dated September 30, after Trump publicly attacked San Juan’s mayor on Twitter. “Many are criticizing POTUS’ lack of empathy for PR’s hardship. The public’s perception of U.S. Government continues to be negative as the response in PR is seen as too slow.” One day later, after Trump called critics of the disaster response “politically motivated ingrates,” an advisory went out noting that “the perception of [government] response continues to be negative.” Spokespeople were recommended to say, “I am very proud of our DOD forces,” while admitting that “there are some challenges to work through.”

I know this not only from Flavelle’s story, but because I also received the emails (as did Miami Herald journalist Jim Wyss, who didn’t return my request for comment). The first email was on September 28, after I spoke with a DOD communications officer to ask exactly when they received a formal request for aid; how long did it took for the military to deploy to Puerto Rico; and why helicopters weren’t being deployed to certain unreachable areas. I didn’t get concrete answers to all of those questions, but I did get included on the private Pentagon listserv.

John Cornielo, deputy director of public affairs for the U.S. Northern Command, later told me this was an honest mistake; I had asked to be added to the press list, and was added to the wrong one. He also disagreed that the agency was engaging in spin. “I wouldn’t say we’re putting on a positive response, I would say we’re telling it as accurately as we can—positive, negative, and neutral,” he said. “Clearly, things down there are not going well. But there are also things that are improving on an everyday basis, and those are important stories to tell as well.”

There’s an ongoing debate about who’s responsible for the humanitarian crisis in Puerto Rico. Some say the military has been too slow, while others blame the Puerto Rican government is responsible. But in at least one respect, there’s no dispute: The Trump administration’s public relations have been a debacle, as the president and his political appointees issue dishonest statements and career public servants struggle to keep the focus on the federal response. This communications catastrophe is much more than just a professional annoyance for journalists; it’s having a tangible impact on mainland politics and, even worse, on the welfare of Puerto Ricans.