Tag: Ben Carson

‘Using his position for private gain’: Ben Carson was warned he might run afoul of ethics rules by enlisting his son

The following article by Juliet Eilperin and Jack Gillum was posted on the Washington Post website January 31, 2018:

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, accompanied by his wife, Candy Carson, left, conducts a listening tour in Baltimore last June. (Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Public Affairs)

Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson allowed his son to help organize an agency “listening tour” in Baltimore last summer despite warnings from department lawyers that doing so risked violating federal ethics rules, according to internal documents and people familiar with the matter.

Career officials and political appointees raised concerns days before the visit that Carson’s son, local businessman Ben Carson Jr., and daughter-in-law were inviting people with whom they potentially had business dealings, the documents show.

Carson Jr. put people he’d invited in touch with his father’s deputies, joined agency staff on official conference calls about the listening tour and copied his wife on related email exchanges, according to emails. Continue reading “‘Using his position for private gain’: Ben Carson was warned he might run afoul of ethics rules by enlisting his son”

Trump was reportedly surprised black lawmakers didn’t personally know fellow black person Ben Carson

The following article by German Lopez was posted on the Vox website January 12, 2018:

Credit: Saul Loeb/AFP via Getty Images

That wasn’t even the only stereotype Trump reportedly threw out during a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus.

President Donald Trump reportedly couldn’t avoid stereotyping black people during a meeting with the Congressional Black Caucus.

He had asked members of the Congressional Black Caucus in a March meeting, Vivian Salama reported for NBC News on Friday, if they personally knew Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, who is black. He was surprised when none of the attendees did, two meeting attendees told Salama. Continue reading “Trump was reportedly surprised black lawmakers didn’t personally know fellow black person Ben Carson”

Is Anybody Home at HUD?

The following article by Alec MacGilis was posted on the ProPublica website August 22, 2017:

A long-harbored conservative dream — the “dismantling of the administrative state” — is taking place under Secretary Ben Carson.

Credit: Cameron Cottrill, special to ProPublica

This story was co-published with New York magazine.

In mid-May, Steve Preston, who served as the secretary of housing and urban development in the final two years of the George W. Bush administration, organized a dinner at the Metropolitan Club in Washington, D.C., for the new chief of that department, Ben Carson, and five other former secretaries whose joint tenure stretched all the way back to Gerald Ford. It was an event with no recent precedent within the department, and it had the distinct feel of an intervention. Continue reading “Is Anybody Home at HUD?”

Why Ben Carson’s appearance in Phoenix was likely a violation of federal law

The following article by Philip Bump was posted on the Washington Post website August 23, 2017:

At a rally for President Trump at the Phoenix Convention Center on Aug. 22 in Phoenix, the announcer introduced to the stage, “The secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson.” (The Washington Post)

This article has been updated.

Right before Ben Carson took the stage at President Trump’s rally in Phoenix on Tuesday night, the announcer introduced him.

“The secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Dr. Ben Carson,” the voice intoned, prompting cheers from the audience. Continue reading “Why Ben Carson’s appearance in Phoenix was likely a violation of federal law”

Fact Check: These Statements by Trump’s Cabinet Don’t Match Policy

The following article by Linda Qiu was posted on the New York Times website June 13, 2017:

Source: Wikipedia (public domain)

Members of the White House cabinet took turns praising President Trump at a gathering on Monday, adopting the commander in chief’s evaluations of himself. Their mimicry was not limited to a day of flattery; several have also adopted Mr. Trump’s rhetorical style of doubling down on false claims and pushing so-called alternative facts.

At least four Trump administration cabinet secretaries have defended austere budget cuts and policy shifts at their departments with misleading statements in congressional testimony and other official settings. Here’s an assessment. Continue reading “Fact Check: These Statements by Trump’s Cabinet Don’t Match Policy”

HUD boss Carson sings a new tune about federal workers as finalists are honored for their good works

The following article by Joe Davidson was posted on the Washington Post website May 10, 2017:

Federal employee finalists for the Service to America Medals gathered at the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Tuesday for a breakfast in honor of their accomplishments. (Aaron Clamage/www.clamagephoto.com)

The bacon was still on the tables at a Capitol Hill breakfast honoring federal employees Tuesday when Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson admitted to a wake-up call.

He had heard, he said, that government employees “didn’t work very hard.”

But once he actually learned about them — after he became head of a major federal agency — he found the workers “are extremely dedicated” to their jobs.

His remarks were reminiscent of President Trump, another government rookie, who said “nobody knew health care could be so complicated.” Continue reading “HUD boss Carson sings a new tune about federal workers as finalists are honored for their good works”

Ben Carson Is Proving to Be the Bizarre and Incompetent Secretary of Housing and Urban Development We Expected Him to Be

The following article by Alex Koch was posted on the AlterNet website April 26, 2017:

Nothing like getting thrown out on the street with two kids and a $7.25-per-hour job to give you the tools to achieve the American dream.

Ben Carson. Photo Credit: O’Reilly Factor via Salon

Since neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson was sworn in as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development on March 2, we’ve barely heard a peep from him. Is it because he’s adjusting to his new position, for which he has no relevant experience? Probably. Is it because, as his surrogate said, that he’s not qualified to run a federal agency? Could be that, too.

Apparently there’s been “an atmosphere of paranoia and guardedness that has enveloped HUD since Trump’s inauguration,” according to a former HUD official under Barack Obama, as reported by Next City. Continue reading “Ben Carson Is Proving to Be the Bizarre and Incompetent Secretary of Housing and Urban Development We Expected Him to Be”

Ben Carson Compares Slaves to Immigrants in First HUD Address

From the NBC News website:

Secretary Ben Carson made a comparison to slaves coming to the United States as immigrants, saying America was the only country “big enough” to allow them to realize their dreams.

There’s … nothing … to …. say …