confuse about (something)

To puzzle or make uncertain about something. A noun or pronoun can be used between "confuse" and "about." I wasn't trying to confuse my students about sine and cosine, but it seems that I have. I'm sorry I'm so early—I must have been confused about the party's start time. Wait, whoa, I'm confused about when to add the dry ingredients to the recipe. I think I missed a step.

confuse the issue

To obfuscate or distract from the topic at hand by introducing irrelevant 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.