Is this a Cabinet Secretary’s version of the dog ate my homework? Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson testified before a House committee about that controversial $31,000 dining room set he bought for his office (before canceling it after the news broke).
The New York Times reports, “Mr. Carson offered a rambling, at times contradictory, explanation of the purchase of the table, chairs and hutch, a transaction that turned into a public relations disaster that led President Trump to consider replacing him, according to White House aides.”
Carson’s excuses for the purchase ranged from his current dining room set wasn’t safe to “I left it with my wife, I said help choose something.”
This excuse quickly set social media ablaze:
How do we know Ben Carson is not only incompetent but a bad person? Because he just publicly threw his wife under the bus.
Have some spine @SecretaryCarson and take responsibility. You are the head of a major federal agency. Act like it. https://t.co/RuW0WFjGi4
— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) March 20, 2018
I thought I heard a loud thump today! It was Ben Carson throwing his wife under the bus and rolling right over her – head first! Wow-weak!
— Tim Hutchinson (@Hutchinson17Tim) March 21, 2018
Throws wife under the bus?! Jerk store called and they’re all out of Ben Carson. https://t.co/SBAuceRB2R
— Greg Pinelo (@gregpinelo) March 20, 2018
There are also those saying regardless of whether Carson’s wife helped pick the furniture out, ultimately he was still involved.
Official HUD response hasn’t been so different. When I pointed out to a spox that it appeared the secretary had been involved, given the emails, the response was, “When presented with options by professional staff, Mrs. Carson participated in the selection of specific styles.”
— Katie Watson (@kathrynw5) March 20, 2018
Watch Carson’s testimony above.
