I’ve seen better people have more severe lapses of judgement.
I’m not condoning what he said, but I can understanding what lead up to it.
Really? You can "understand" why a person, a public figure who runs several large companies, would make baseless accusations against a person he disagrees with, in an attempt to ruin this person for life?
I can't understand that at all.
People get angry, irrationally so sometimes. Live long enough and you come to understand (in my experience).
I have seen people ruined for more petty disagreements.