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Ben Carson admits fabricating West Point scholarship
Politico ^ | 11/06/2015 | Kyle Cheney

Posted on 11/06/2015 8:33:42 AM PST by GIdget2004

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.

The academy has occupied a central place in Carson’s tale for years. According to a story told in Carson’s book, “Gifted Hands,” the then-17 year old was introduced in 1969 to Gen. William Westmoreland, who had just ended his command of U.S. forces in Vietnam, and the two dined together. That meeting, according to Carson’s telling, was followed by a “full scholarship” to the military academy.

West Point, however, has no record of Carson applying, much less being extended admission.

“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.

When presented with this evidence, Carson’s campaign conceded the story was false.

“Dr. Carson was the top ROTC student in the City of Detroit,” campaign manager Barry Bennett wrote in an email to POLITICO. “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,” Bennett went on. “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.”

(Excerpt) Read more at politico.com ...


TOPICS: Breaking News; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bencarson; cantbepresident; carson; carsonbio; elections; lies; mediabias; politicolies; scholarship; slander; smear; westpoint
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To: jwalsh07

Only Democrat pols can embellish their military service and get away with it. Carson is done.

I am amazed, but not surprised, by the Media’s intense background check of Ben Carson especially when compared to, umm, er, their whitewash of Barack Obama.

Anyway, go Trump/Cruz. Attack and destroy the Mainstream Media and the GOPe at every opportunity.


161 posted on 11/06/2015 9:11:16 AM PST by TTFlyer
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To: maggief

Holy crap ping


162 posted on 11/06/2015 9:11:21 AM PST by SE Mom (Proud mom of an Iraq war combat vet)
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To: GIdget2004

His story is impressive on its own merit, can’t imagine why he’d have to gild the lily with a lie. Sad.


163 posted on 11/06/2015 9:11:23 AM PST by EDINVA
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To: GIdget2004

Carson out.

Whoaaaaa, what kind of man thinks he can lie about something so important and so verifiable?


164 posted on 11/06/2015 9:11:42 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: frankenMonkey

I see what you did there........


165 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:03 AM PST by advertising guy (.................... I`m not Catholic, but hell , neither is the Pope.............)
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To: GIdget2004
I wonder why the Politico and Kyle Cheney didn't investigate Baraq H. 0bama like they did Carson?

Let's see, both are about the same age, wealthy, male and Black.

Hmmm, let me think about this...

I crack me up.

5.56mm

166 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:08 AM PST by M Kehoe
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To: FreeReign

Boy, these apostrophe problems are multiplying, aren’t they??


167 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:32 AM PST by miss marmelstein (Richard the Third: I'd like to drive away not only the Turks (moslims) but all my foes.")
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To: GIdget2004

This article is vague.

Politico is, typically, distorting what they claim is “central to Carson’s tale”.

The article itself verifies the event Carson attended with Westmorelland, and corrects the time from the Memorial Day Carson remembered to a February event.

The direct from Carson in the article also belies Politio’s fundamental distortion of what Carson claimed, which was that he was offered a scholarship, not that he applied and was accepted.

Be for Carson or against him, just don’t let the lying leftist media lead you around by the nose.

This is an out and out scam hit piece based on pure distortion like they always do.


168 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:37 AM PST by ifinnegan
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To: FreeReign
If this is true and Carson is forced to drop out, most of his support will go to Trump.

Rubio is rising in large part due to picking up Bush support, as Jebbie goes down the tubes.

There is still a huge anti-politician sentiment out there and I can't see very many Carson OR Trump supporters suddenly deciding to throw their vote to an establishment candidate.

As a non-politician, Carly Fiorina could have been in that Trump/Carson tier and thus benefit by Carson dropping out, but I think she ruined her chances by acting too much like an establishment politician and taking an opportunity (at the debates) to take a cheap shot at Trump while Trump was extending an olive branch.

169 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:43 AM PST by SamAdams76 (It's time we sent a junkyard dog to Washington to run the low life out)
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To: GIdget2004
Drudge has it up as the lead story in red font.

http://www.drudgereport.com

170 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:51 AM PST by conservative98
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To: mkjessup

I think your black ball is right.


171 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:51 AM PST by sanjuanbob (Skeptic)
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To: Drawsing
"On a side note... why are so many of the posts infected with special character symbols? It makes everything hard to read."

I have been wondering the same thing. I was beginning to think it was my computer as it has been doing strange things.

172 posted on 11/06/2015 9:12:58 AM PST by Spunky
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To: Tennessean4Bush

Laughable that you are telling others to read the entire article, especially since it includes an actual admission from Carson’s campaign manager that Carson’s claim of being “offered a full scholarship to West Point” is untrue!


173 posted on 11/06/2015 9:13:22 AM PST by drjimmy
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To: miss marmelstein

But how does a liar attack the Hillary lies?


174 posted on 11/06/2015 9:13:24 AM PST by Amntn
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To: GIdget2004

Ruh roh.


175 posted on 11/06/2015 9:13:44 AM PST by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
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To: BlackFemaleArmyCaptain

Wow. They are digging up stuff on Ben now.


To be fair, that is not digging. He got someone pregnant at 17, that’s digging. And unfair and not representative of the man.

He lies about getting accepted into West Point, that doesn’t take much of a dig, and it also speaks to his character because he was CURRENTLY lying about it.

I’m sad.


176 posted on 11/06/2015 9:14:00 AM PST by Yaelle
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To: frankenMonkey

That’s raciss.


177 posted on 11/06/2015 9:14:18 AM PST by ilovesarah2012
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To: GIdget2004
READ THE STORY !!! CARSON DOESN'T "ADMIT" ANYTHING WRONG !!!

I'm for Cruz, but I hate it when a liberal rag tries to twist the truth about any conservative; especially when it gets conservatives to believe such lies!

178 posted on 11/06/2015 9:14:19 AM PST by celmak (GO TED CRUZ !!!)
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To: sparklite2

Hmmm !

I guess Carson is a politician after-all.

.


179 posted on 11/06/2015 9:14:35 AM PST by Mears
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To: BlackFemaleArmyCaptain

As I predicted 10 days ago when he first took the lead in IA and in a single national poll.


180 posted on 11/06/2015 9:14:37 AM PST by LS ("Castles Made of Sand, Fall in the Sea . . . Eventually" (Hendrix))
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