confuse the issue

To obfuscate or distract from the topic at hand by introducing irrelevant and/or misleading information. Politicians are always confusing the issue during debates by pointing out their opponents' history in other issues. Don't confuse the issue with talk about your past achievements, please stick to the question I'm asking you. His muddled explanation only served to confuse the issue further for his students.

Common Names:

Name	Pronounced	Usage
Gerel	-	Mongolian
Stana	-	Czech, Serbian, Croatian
Garnett	-	English
Sumiko	soo-mee-ko	Japanese
Betony	BET-nee	English (Rare)
Clarisa	klah-REE-sah	Spanish