1 of 10 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Controversial comments from Kellyanne Conway that made headlines View Photos Conway, counselor to President Trump, coined the term “alternative facts” and referred to a “Bowling Green massacre” that never happened. Caption Conway, counselor to President Trump, coined the term “alternative facts” and referred to a “Bowling Green massacre” that never happened. Bill O'Leary Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.

It all started innocently enough.

Kellyanne Conway, a senior adviser to President Trump and, for many Americans, the face and voice of the administration, was making the case for her boss's controversial travel ban to MSNBC's Chris Matthews. Here's what she said:

I bet it’s brand new information to people that President Obama had a six-month ban on the Iraqi refugee program after two Iraqis came here to this country, were radicalized and were the masterminds behind the Bowling Green massacre....Most people don’t know that because it didn’t get covered.

The reason the Bowling Green massacre didn't get covered, of course, was because, well, there is no such thing. Bowling Green, Kentucky has never been home to a terrorist attack.

What Conway was referring to was the arrest of two men in Bowling Green in 2011 on federal terrorism charges after one of the men's fingerprints had been traced to a roadside bomb detonated in Iraq in 2005.

Within relatively short order, Conway admitted her error -- tweeting that she meant to say "Bowling Green terrorists" rather than "Bowling Green massacre."

Fair enough.

The problem for Conway was/is:

1. The Internet exists

2. "Alternative facts"

Conway made that second phrase famous last month when she used it to explain why President Trump and White House press secretary Sean Spicer were suggesting attendance numbers at the inauguration that simply didn't jibe with, you know, the actual facts.

Because Conway is so closely associated with "alternative facts" and because she is so high profile, the Internet teed off on the idea of the non-existent Bowling Green massacre. Roughly one billion sarcastic tweets (NOTE: This is an estimate) were launched in the 24 hours after Conway uttered the phrase.

Here's one that made me laugh:

https://twitter.com/AgentOrchid/status/828051564124188672

Conway, in keeping with the "let no attack go unanswered" philosophy of Trumpworld, hit back. She referred to those mocking her as "haters" in an interview with Fox News Channel's Howard Kurtz, noting: “I misspoke one word. The corrections in the newspapers that are attacking me are three paragraphs long every day.”

I was actually (mostly) with Conway until the Kurtz interview. Anyone who talks on TV a lot knows that sometimes you misspeak. All you can do is say "Yeah, I screwed up. It was an honest mistake."

But to allege that your mistake was somehow less substantial than the mistakes reporters make and that people pointing out your mistake are "haters" feels a little -- or a lot -- much.

Kellyanne Conway, for watching "alternative facts" boomerang back at you, you had the Worst Week in Washington. Congrats, or something.