Carson Remarks Raise Alarming Questions
“Maybe they were doing it on purpose,” he says about his financially illiterate staffers.
Dr. Ben Carson’s got some ‘splainin’ to do. Numerous political commentators have noted that the renowned surgeon’s presidential prospects are nil — as demonstrated in both polling numbers and caucus/primary results — and his staying in the race does more harm than good for the more viable Republican contenders. The question, then, is what exactly is he waiting for? Does he actually believe he will leap to the forefront despite currently sitting in last place with just four delegates? Unfortunately, he has more than that to answer for. Yesterday on CNN, Dr. Carson was asked about his campaign shakeup. Here’s how he responded: “It has helped me tremendously. There’s no question about it. Uh, you know, we had people who really didn’t seem to understand finances, or maybe they did, maybe, maybe they were doing it on purpose. But, uh, obviously things have improved tremendously since that time and the morale is much better [emphasis added].”
Not to bludgeon the man, but these comments raise some serious allegations, not the least of which is the possibility that donor contributors were used unethically. Leon H. Wolf over at Red State wonders, “[H]as Ben Carson conducted an investigation or audit of any kind as to whether campaign funds were used or funneled improperly, and if not, why not?” Moreover, how did Carson “not know that for months [his] campaign was being run by people who were (at best) incompetent with finances or possibly (at worst) actively defrauding your donors?” Even more alarming, a Daily Caller investigation found that “[t]he operatives of the largest pro-Ben Carson super PAC have paid themselves and friendly contractors millions of dollars in donations from people who thought they were helping elect Carson, and have reinvested millions more into further fundraising efforts, building ever-expanding donor lists that they have already started renting out to other campaigns for profit.”
Maybe there’s a legitimate reason for all this. Maybe not. But Carson just opened up a can of worms, and it’s not like there isn’t evidence floating around to lend credence to the more concerning possibilities. In the end, it’s not just donors that are getting hurt, but possibly Dr. Carson’s reputation and integrity as well. Let’s hope not.
