Former President Donald Trump’s recent speech at the annual Black Conservative Federation gala in South Carolina took an unexpected turn when he boasted about Ben Carson’s scandal-free tenure as HUD secretary, but Trump clearly overlooked misconduct allegations that surfaced against Carson during the early months of his administration.
Back in 2018, Carson was accused of purchasing a $31,561 dining table set for his Washington office, although he was later cleared of any wrongdoing following a government watchdog investigation.
But during last Friday’s speech, Trump failed to acknowledge the debacle while heaping praise on Carson, beginning with an anecdote from the 2016 campaign when both he and Carson were running for president.
“He was doing very well. He was knocking them dead. Everyone loved him,” Trump said, praising Carson’s performance during the 2016 presidential primaries.
The GOP frontrunner also highlighted Carson’s humility, especially in light of Trump’s own rising popularity at the time, as Carson surged in the polls before he withdrew after Super Tuesday, leading to Trump’s resounding victory in the 2016 Republican primaries.
“Tremendous religious support, evangelical support in particular, and he was going up, up, up in the polls, and I was up there, I was doing really well, and I started to get a little bit nervous about Ben, he was going up a little too fast,” Trump recounted as the audience chuckled. “And he said to me you have nothing to worry about; God put you in this position; you’re gonna win.”
Carson, also seated in the audience, received some applause as Trump addressed the crowd of Black Republican conservatives, with whom he sought to boost his appeal as President Joe Biden faced increasing criticism for his perceived lack of actions to support the Black community since assuming office more than three years ago.
Later in the speech, Trump escalated his criticism of Biden, labeling him “a very nasty and vicious racist” while also reiterating grievances against his political enemies, alleging that Democrats were orchestrating a “deep state” conspiracy to prevent him from securing a second term.
But first, Trump extended respect to Carson, calling the retired neurosurgeon a “special man,” “competitive guy” and “a great friend of mine,” while also caroling Carson’s tenure as U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development in his administration, which lawmakers and civil advocates have widely criticized.
“He did a great job,” Trump recounted while touting Carson’s record as unblemished.
“No scandal,” Trump declared assuredly. “Remember, he was at HUD. Everybody at HUD has scandal, you know. They get a little money for an apartment or house approval some place. No scandal whatsoever.”
Ben Carson’s HUD Furniture Scandal
Back in 2019, an inspector general issued a 14-page report that found insufficient evidence to substantiate allegations of misconduct against Carson regarding the 2017 purchase of a $31,561 dining table set for his Washington office.
The staggering sum sparked outrage on Capitol Hill as Carson was called to testify in the matter.
Carson eventually canceled the order for the furniture after it came to light in February 2018, while the episode ultimately went down as another embarrassment early in the Trump administration.
At the time, there were conflicting statements from HUD about Carson’s awareness of the purchase order, and in congressional testimony, Carson seemed to shift blame for the controversy to his wife, Candy.
Trump, however, seemed to forget about the scandal as he urged the audience not to take his word for it but to look into Carson’s record for themselves.
“You go check out HUD,” Trump said. “Housing Urban Development, you check it out, there’s been a lot of problems over the years. He just ran a great operation with some very good people you had, you were right about all those people, they were great. Thank you Ben, very much, we appreciate the job you’ve done.”
However, Trump’s favorable opinion of Carson contrasted with the viewpoints of Washington lawmakers.
Back in 2019, Democratic Rep. Katie Porter of California criticized Carson’s leadership at HUD, highlighting his lack of awareness and his failure to address critical issues facing American families.
In a scathing editorial, Porter put pressure on Carson to step aside for someone who could effectively address housing issues.
“In his over two years as HUD secretary, Carson has failed to show a genuine commitment to assisting families on the brink. The American people deserve better,” Porter wrote.
During congressional hearings on federal housing, Carson was also accused of being evasive about foreclosure processes and ongoing neglect of HUD safety priorities. His proposed budget cuts and push for privatization were also seen as detrimental to addressing fair housing challenges across the country.
Additionally, Carson’s attempts to increase rent for recipients of federal housing assistance and to delay fair housing enforcement have been widely criticized, suggesting a disconnect between his actions and the needs of vulnerable families.
All the more reason why Carson’s furniture scandal infuriated lawmakers at the time.
The allegations against Carson surfaced after Helen Foster, a senior HUD official-turned-whistleblower, claimed she was demoted and replaced with a Trump appointee after she refused to provide more than $5,000 in public funds for an expansive redecoration of Carson’s office.
Foster said she faced retaliation for revealing a $10 million budget shortfall at HUD and for objecting when she was prevented from managing two important Freedom of Information Act requests linked to Trump, reportedly due to her perceived Democratic affiliation.
After Foster’s removal in 2017, Trump nominated Suzanne Israel Tufts, a seasoned Republican operative from his home county of Queens, New York, as HUD’s assistant secretary for administration, which Foster claimed effectively absorbed her role.
Ethics Concerns Over Ben Carson’s Baltimore Listening Tour
Carson also came under fire for allowing his son, Ben Carson Jr., to help organize an agency “listening tour” in Baltimore in 2017.
According to a memo by then-HUD deputy general counsel for operations, Linda Cruciani, Carson Jr. and his wife invited more than six corporate heavyweights to the tour, and there was speculation that the couple were courting them to do business. The former HUD secretary’s son ran a private equity firm and was the chairman of the construction and engineering services company, while his wife was the CEO of a consulting firm.
Cruciani warned that the tour “gave the appearance that the Secretary may be using his position for his son’s private gain,” according to The Washington Post.
Both father and son argued that it was not a matter of ethics but that the older Carson needed help from his family on the tour. Carson Jr. quipped that he didn’t “mix and match parties.
In 2019, American Oversight published documents that it said supported claims that Carson Jr. used his father’s position to bolster his business. Baltimore city records obtained by the government watchdog group American Oversight indicated Carson Jr. advocated for development projects, including in Poppleton and Park Heights neighborhoods, potentially for investment by his company, Interprise Partners, in his father’s city tour. The HUD subsequently granted $1.3 million for Poppleton’s redevelopment.
American Oversight and ethics watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington urged the agency to launch an investigation into whether Carson violated his ethical obligations to no avail.
