Posted on 11/06/2015 10:51:55 AM PST by xzins
“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.â€
“This is what we have come to expect from Politico.â€
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 anythingâ€
This is what we have come to expect from Politico.â€
Politico reporter Kyle Cheney, who has the byline on the Carson story, did not immediately respond to multiple requests for comment.
Yes, that is also true. Carson did very well in school and his SAT score was the highest in Detroit in some 20 years. I am not knocking him merely stating what he himself stated about his AA appointment to Yale. Obviously he had the grades for med school and we know Johns Hopkins gets it pick for fellowships also. The GI surgeon who saved my wife’s life is a Johns Hopkins grad. You are familiar with LOA’s to the academy and that the VP plus each Senator and Congressman can have 5 .
with the help of racist conservatives, politico is going to pull off the lie
True. In addition to each member of Congress and the VP having 5 slots each there are active duty plus those whose father received a CMH. I also recall the West Point Prep School at FT Belvoir in the 60’s. The prep school is a year so that route is 5 years. I believe it has moved to NJ?
I will assert that a person who graduates with a degree in psychology from Yale and gets an MD from Michigan certainly is academically qualified for the USMA. I will further assert that, barring issues in the pre-admission physical, that someone who excelled in JROTC is physically qualified for West Point.
It is more difficult to get in to the USMA than it is to get a scholarship to Yale.
Actually, that's not true. Yale accepts 6.3% of applicants and West Point accepts 9.5%.
Regardless, do you deny that a promise from the Army Chief of Staff would be insufficient for admission to the USMA?
Maybe you should provide some evidence to support your claim that an offer of a scholarship to Yale automatically qualifies a person for an appointment to West Point.
If I ever made such a claim I would provide evidence.
Nevertheless, NOBODY has claimed that General Westmoreland's offer to secure Carson a spot at West Point is untrue. All that seems to be at issue is the phraseology used by Carson.
Yes, good point.
I've been verbally offered jobs before that I turned down, most people have, this doesn't invalidate the offer.
Great point. To amplify your point my BIL had an 800 math SAT score plus a 700 plus on English. He had straight A’s in high school with one B in English. He was turned down for West Point but offered the prep school. He got an ROTC scholarship to VA tech and he was the DMG in 68. He has a BSAE, MSAE and PHD in Engineering MGMT. He was not athletic nor was he ever a Boy Scout. As you know West Point likes all around types and Eagle Scout counts.
Still can't bring yourself to defend someone against this proven lie perpetrated by the MSM can you?
I think your attitude now defines the general attitude of the vast majority of individuals who look to this site for political enlightenment. Specifically, if the candidate of their choice comes under fire, they will defend him/her to the death. But if it involves a candidate they don't support, then oh well, let him/her drown...........
That's what separates the Democrap party from our own. The Democraps will never criticize any of their own candidates while we are all too eager to destroy our own simply because they are in competition against "Our Own Guy".....You know them, they're ones who promise to stay home on election day.
If you can't bring yourself to speak out against this gross injustice against Dr. Carson, then what do you really stand for?
she stands for her own personal self esteem
that’s what the self righteous always do
Bullshit. There are many who go Yale who would never qualify for West Point for lots of reasons, including criminal records, lack of physical fitness, medical condition/disability, failure to obtain a Congressional nomination from a Representative or Senator, etc.
Its presidential politics. Not for sissy’s. Carson parsed his way into a box he now cannot seem to get out of. It was bound to happen. So now its happened. Get over it. Ben is going back to a cushy retirement and all the speaking engagements he can handle. Maybe even a cabinet position with Trump in 2017. You two church ladies need to stop bleeding over nothing. :-)
Read what I wrote in 144.
You wrote this: Keep in mind that Carson DID get a full scholarship to Yale, so he was certainly qualified for West Point in Post #35.
It appears Politico are not the only liars here today...
I could have been a Naval Academy attendee. Seriesly.. Turned it down.. Like a big dummy.. I was 17.. Sue me. :-)
You know how many people would literally do anything to get a shot at a slot?
I always wanted to fly.. Maybe to the Moon.. Oh vell. I bet Ben has his regrets too.
Party on!!
Maybe you should provide some evidence to support your claim that an offer of a scholarship to Yale automatically qualifies a person for an appointment to West Point.
You underlined automatic, not me.
I said he was qualified, I NEVER said that a person admitted to Yale would for certain be accepted at West Point.
I notice that you conveniently ignored everything else in my post about why he was qualified and proof that it's not easier to get into Yale.
Carson has not been on Twitter all day. He usually posts every 20 minutes or so. He knows he got his balls in a vice with this about West Point. He’s hiding out until he can get his straight and appear on Bloody Megyn tonight. Mark it down. He needs to go ahead and get out. He’s a pathological liar and he’s done.
I do, unless that promise was made to the child of a Congressional Medal of Honor winner.
Dating back to the 1940s, I have family members on both sides that have attended the service academies and senior military colleges. Some have taught there too.
Although I received a nomination from my Congressman, poor eyesight precluded admission when I tried to get in.
Currently, I have a sibling who instructs at West Point, a cousin who is attending there, and a child who is attending the top senior military college and will be contracting to serve.
Based on what I've seen, the best spin Ben Carson would be able to put on what happened is that he was offered encouragement to apply and, if he had followed through, might have been able to get a letter of recommendation from Westmoreland to support his application.
Politico Edits Ben Carson Hit Piece, Drops Claims of ‘Fabrication’
Totally agree with your comments.
My first instinct was that the Political story was a manipulation and twisting of something Dr. Carson had written.
What was more shocking was the vitriolic knee-jerk instant trashing of of Dr. Carson by so many Freepers. My hope is that many or most of them are trolls.
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