I had a relative who would say stupid stuff like this all the time. If you broke your leg, God was mad at you. If you stubbed your toe, God was mad at you. I was in the room when she told a family member who had recently been diagnosed with cancer that God was mad at her. I said, “God must be MAD at us... He’s leaving you here”. Stupid people.
The problem is that your relative wasn't a high profile Christian conservative who once ran for national political office. I can spout my opinion and it doesn't mean a thing. But if I were in a position to influence the masses, I'd have to be very careful about what I said. Ditto Robertson.
My dad thought maybe God wanted him to have hemorrhoids. That made my mother quite upset. “God doesn’t want you to have hemorrhoids” she yelled at him.