Ben Carson: Donald Trump Endorsement In Exchange For Job In Administration [Video]
Ben Carson’s endorsement of Donald Trump came as a surprise to many. Over the course of the Carson presidential campaign, Donald Trump spent plenty of time berating the medical doctor, calling him “pathological, like a child molester,” among other things. Indeed, one wouldn’t think there was much love lost between the two men and political rivals when Ben Carson made the decision to bow out of the 2016 U.S. presidential race.
Then, on Friday, Ben Carson shocked his supporters and the world when he came out in support of Donald Trump for president, reports CNN. With bated breath, the world (or at least the United States) waited for an explanation as to why Dr. Carson would decide to give his endorsement to someone who didn’t share his values and had expressed multiple times his disdain for the former presidential candidate.
Dr. Ben Carson was more than willing to explain to his former supporters, and the American public, why he’d chosen to support Donald Trump as the next president of the United States. Unfortunately for Trump, the former reality TV star, Ben Carson’s explanation for his endorsement was far less than flattering.
“Even if Donald Trump turns out not to be such a great president, which I don’t think is the case, I think he’s going to surround himself with really good people. But even if he didn’t, we’re only looking at four years as opposed to multiple generations, and perhaps the loss of the American dream forever.”
It doesn’t sound like Ben Carson has much faith in the abilities of a President Donald Trump. Rather, it sounds like the former candidate is simply willing to grit his teeth through a Donald Trump presidency. But why?
According to a report by ThinkProgress, the reason that Ben Carson supports Donald Trump is simple. According to Dr. Carson, The Donald has made some kind of promise or agreement with Ben Carson that in exchange for his endorsement, Dr. Carson will be getting some kind of “advisory” position in Donald Trump’s administration. Should Trump be elected president, that is.
Ben Carson himself spilled the beans about the whole shady deal while being interviewed by NewsMax‘s Steve Malzberg. Check out the clip below to hear it for yourself.
Ben Carson explains during the interview that he mostly backed Donald Trump because he felt as though the other candidates couldn’t make it to the White House. He goes on to talk about alternative Republican candidates Marco Rubio (who CNN reports dropped out of the 2016 race Tuesday as a result of a poor “Super Tuesday 3” performance) and John Kasich.
“I didn’t see a path for [John] Kasich, who I like, or for [Marco] Rubio, who I like. As far as [Ted] Cruz is concerned, I don’t think he’s gonna be able to draw independents and Democrats unless has has some kind of miraculous change… Is there another scenario that I would have preferred? Yes. But that scenario isn’t available.”
In a nutshell? Ben Carson would have preferred to endorse somebody else. Pretty much anybody else. But he doesn’t see Trump rivals trumping Trump on his way to the White House.
The admission by Ben Carson that he has been promised some kind of position in a potential Donald Trump administration in exchange for his endorsement could prove problematic for both men. This is because federal law expressly prohibits such conduct. Presidential candidates are legally forbidden from promising “the appointment of any person to any public or private position or employment, for the purpose of procuring support in his candidacy.” If federal prosecutors can prove that violations of this law are willful, the penalty could be fines or two years in jail.
So far, the Donald Trump campaign has declined to comment on what, if any, positions may have been offered to Ben Carson in exchange for his endorsement.
[Image Courtesy Of Joe Raedle/Getty Images]
