Team Carson: ‘Politico Story Is An Outright LIE’

This will be interesting. All the insane news today and it may be a hit piece. I was a bit weary of the story when CNN put in a disclaimer that they could not verify the story.

I was holding out for a statement from the Carson Campaign.


Was he "Dan Rather'ed"?

dailycaller.com...

“The campaign never ‘admitted to anything,'” a spokesman for Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson told The Daily Caller News Foundation in response to a hit by Politico claiming his campaign admitted to “fabricating” a key point about his West Point story.

“The Politico story is an outright Lie,” Doug Watts told TheDCNF.

Politico published a piece Friday claiming Carson’s campaign “admits fabricating” the fact that he applied and was admitted to West Point.

“Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point,” Kyle Cheney writes in the lede.

The Carson campaign disputes Politico’s unsubstantiated claim he ever claimed to have applied to West Point or been admitted: “He never said he was admitted or even applied.”

“This is what we have come to expect from Politico.”

Here is the full statement Watts provided to TheDCNF:

“Dr Carson was the top ROTC student in the City of Detroit. In that role he was invited to meet General Westmoreland. He believes it was at a banquet. He can’t remember with specificity their brief conversation but it centered around Dr. Carson’s performance as ROTC City Executive Officer.

He was introduced to folks from West Point by his ROTC Supervisors. They told him they could help him get an appointment based on his grades and performance in ROTC. He considered it but in the end did not seek admission. There are “Service Connected” nominations for stellar High School ROTC appointments. Again he was the top ROTC student in Detroit. I would argue strongly that an Appointment is indeed an amazing full scholarship. Having ran several Congressional Offices I am very familiar with the Nomination process.

Again though his Senior Commander was in touch with West Point and told Dr. Carson he could get in, Dr Carson did not seek admission.

The Politico story is an outright Lie. Dr. Carson as the leading ROTC student in Detroit was told by his Commanders that he could get an Appointment to the Academy. He never said he was admitted or even applied.

The campaign never “admitted to anything”

This is what we have come to expect from Politico.”

Politico reporter Kyle Cheney, who has the byline on the Carson story, did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment.

time.com...

He does not write in the book that he applied to the school. Students who are accepted to West Point, a U.S. Military Academy, do not pay tuition. The Politico story claimed that Carson had “fabricated” his “application and acceptance” into the U.S. Military Academy.

“The Politico story is an outright lie,” Watts wrote in a statement. “Dr. Carson as the leading ROTC student in Detroit was told by his commanders that he could get an Appointment at the academy. He never said he was admitted or even applied.”

a reply to: infolurker

Politico...running a piece for a smear campaign?

Damn. I KNEW the Politico story was a political 'Hit Job'.
These racist slugs are desperate to trash black conservatives.

This is beyond an outrage!

dailycaller.com...

I guess this is what Dr. Carson "gets" for straying from the liberal, left, RACIST plantation and DARING to think for himself as an intelligent CONSERVATIVE African American, Christian man.

This is RACIST TRASHING and out right lies!

And I need to add...Dr. Carson was the TOP ROTC student in the city of Detroit in 1968!!!! And as a 17 year old kid he had a dinner w/Gen. Westmoreland as such. And using the "word" scholarship he mistook the encouragement of ROTC to apply as a "full scholarship" as NO ONE PAYS to go to a military academy. You MUST be accepted!!!

This is so outrageous! To quote Justice Clarence Thomas (from his own hits) "this is a hgh tech lynching" of a conservative Black man.

I'm thinking this was all staged to be blamed on racism, to prop Carson up in the polls..... I smell BS

a reply to: Glinda

Who is it racist? I know you are trying to be ironic, but doesn't that mean you are stooping to the level of the people that said people were racist for criticizing obama?

Of course the campaign is going to say it is a lie... Does that mean that we should trust them?

Not saying we should trust politico just based on what they said but looks like we have two sides of a story, which means the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

What is the lie here btw?

“I felt so proud, my chest bursting with ribbons and braids of every kind. To make it more wonderful, we had important visitors that day. Two soldiers who had won the Congressional Medal of Honor in Viet Nam were present,” he wrote. “More exciting to me, General William Westmoreland (very prominent in the Viet Nam war) attended with an impressive entourage. Afterward, Sgt. Hunt” — his high school ROTC director — “introduced me to General Westmoreland, and I had dinner with him and the Congressional Medal winners. Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point.

Read more: www.politico.com...

This is what it says, why would West Point not have records of him applying?

“In 1969, those who would have completed the entire process would have received their acceptance letters from the Army Adjutant General,” said Theresa Brinkerhoff, a spokeswoman for the academy. She said West Point has no records that indicate Carson even began the application process. “If he chose to pursue (the application process), then we would have records indicating such,” she said.

Read more: www.politico.com...

a reply to: IAMTAT

This has left the usual leftwing "soft" racism tone. This is an outright hit on Carson. I guess when they do something like this "on line" they don't have to bother with the cross burnings.

Outright racism due to Carson NOT thinking like the left thinks a Black man should think.

originally posted by: imitator
I'm thinking this was all staged to be blamed on racism, to prop Carson up in the polls..... I smell BS

So you think it wrong to blame racists for engaging in racism? I guess, if they're liberal racists, they're just victims of a sneaky set up.

Yes a news article trying to smear a politician, what a new concept, damn those evil racist liberals.

a reply to: Sremmos80

You obviously didn't read the article. Dr. Ben Carson never said he applied.

The "Lie" politico claimed he did was "getting a scholarship" West Point doesn't give scholarships.

The politico story says "HE ADMITTED" as such, if he did admit it why would he come out now and say he didn't admit it? It's much more likely the Politico, a left leaning publication, did a hit piece on Dr. Carson now that he's starting to claim first place in the polls.

It's a disgrace and I'm glad this is coming out.

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: Glinda

Who is it racist? I know you are trying to be ironic, but doesn't that mean you are stooping to the level of the people that said people were racist for criticizing obama?

Of course the campaign is going to say it is a lie... Does that mean that we should trust them?

Not saying we should trust politico just based on what they said but looks like we have two sides of a story, which means the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

What is the lie here btw?

“I felt so proud, my chest bursting with ribbons and braids of every kind. To make it more wonderful, we had important visitors that day. Two soldiers who had won the Congressional Medal of Honor in Viet Nam were present,” he wrote. “More exciting to me, General William Westmoreland (very prominent in the Viet Nam war) attended with an impressive entourage. Afterward, Sgt. Hunt” — his high school ROTC director — “introduced me to General Westmoreland, and I had dinner with him and the Congressional Medal winners. Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point.

Read more: www.politico.com...

This is what it says, why would West Point not have records of him applying?

“In 1969, those who would have completed the entire process would have received their acceptance letters from the Army Adjutant General,” said Theresa Brinkerhoff, a spokeswoman for the academy. She said West Point has no records that indicate Carson even began the application process. “If he chose to pursue (the application process), then we would have records indicating such,” she said.

Read more: www.politico.com...

Politico: Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.


Reality: Ben Carson never said he ever applied to West Point. He said that Military members were trying to get him to go to West Point which would be free with military service.

This is the point of contention.

a reply to: Sremmos80

There is NO record of him applying, because he NEVER applied! That is a pretty big part of the Politico LIE! He (as a 17 year old, top candidate from the city of Detroit) mistook the interest as an OFFER of a scholarship.

Politico made this up out of whole cloth!

a reply to: infolurker

He said he was offered a scholarship, that is in his book.
That isn't true, or if he was the only way he would have been is if he applied...

Sounds like there is twist coming from both sides to me.

“introduced me to General Westmoreland, and I had dinner with him and the Congressional Medal winners. Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point.

Is this a lie or not?
HE said it, no one else.

And again I ask for you race baiters playing the race card, WHO IS BEING RACIST??
Or are we just seeing people being HYPOCRITES?

Was General Westmoreland even IN Detroit that night in 1969?

Because things like that are actually fairly easy to check....

originally posted by: imitator
I'm thinking this was all staged to be blamed on racism, to prop Carson up in the polls.....

So you come in here, use racism as a tool, to claim someone (at politico no doubt) was using it, to eventually use racism as a tool. That's adorable.

I smell BS

Un-cup your hand from your mouth.

a reply to: 0zzymand0s

Gen. Westmoreland WAS in Detroit in February, 1970 for a Medal of Honor banquet, and young Ben Carson did infact attend as the TOP ROTC student in the City.

The racist left couldn't take him out with the 1997 pyramid quote, so they went with 1969 HS recollections. Next I guess they'll have a kindergarten hit peice.

Somebody explain to me with ALL the BS on ALL the white candidates that's in THEIR 1997 (or 1969) histories, that THIS comes out when Carson starts to surge in the polls?

a reply to: PsychoEmperor

No they said his campaign did.

I read the article, as you can clearly see me quoting it.

There is some spin both sides here, at the very least Carson embellished what the Gen told him.
Either that he heard wrong, or he remembered wrong or something else.
But the fact of the matter he if he didn't apply, no one talked to him about paying for him to go.

a reply to: Glinda

Still race baiting huh?

Gotta play that race card, thought that was dirty tactic used by the left to shut down an argument they can't win?

Strange how that works out...

originally posted by: Sremmos80
a reply to: PsychoEmperor

No they said his campaign did.

I read the article, as you can clearly see me quoting it.

There is some spin both sides here, at the very least Carson embellished what the Gen told him.
Either that he heard wrong, or he remembered wrong or something else.
But the fact of the matter he if he didn't apply, no one talked to him about paying for him to go.

No one in west point needs a scholarship Every single cadet gets free tuition and board. They are considered ACTIVE DUTY ARMY with the rank of Cadet.