Four lies about Dr. Ben Carson purported by the mainstream media

The mainstream media continues to propagandize against Republicans, a pinnacle example being: the lies spread about 2016 Republican presidential contender, Dr. Ben Carson. While there are plenty of reasons to question Carson, including his lack of government experience and relationship with a suspicious nutrition company, Mannatech, many attacks made against the presidential front-runner are outright lies. Here are the top four lies about Dr. Ben Carson circling the web today:

1. Carson lied about his West Point scholarship: Politico was forced to change its headline after claiming Carson fabricated his West Point scholarship. Carson stated in an interview with Charlie Rose that, “I was offered a full scholarship at West Point, got to meet General Westmoreland and go to Congressional Medal of Honor dinners. But decided really my pathway would be medicine.” Politico then did a follow up story, noting that Carson never applied to West Point.

The problem is Carson never claimed he applied to West Point. In his autobiography, Gifted Hands, Carson states, “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.” Carson backed up his claims by posting a copy of the material used by West Point those days to recruit African-American students. “Full Government Scholarship” is printed on the front page.^[1]

2. Carson never had a violent temper as a child: Carson states in his biography that he had a violent tempter as a child; so much so that he almost stabbed his friend Bob in the stomach with a camping knife. Carson claims that only God could have saved him from his violent tempter. Nevertheless, the media reported, “Nine friends, classmates, and neighbors who grew up with Carson told CNN they have no memory of the anger or violence the candidate has described.”^[1]

In order to verify the story, Carson posted an interview with his mother published in a 1997 issue of Parade Magazine. “Oh, that really happened. I sat him down and told him that you don’t accomplish much by being a bully. You accomplish more with kindness than you ever do by being harsh,” she said in the article.^[1]

3. Carson didn’t protect white classmates during a school riot: The presidential front-runner claimed he helped protect a minority of white students during a school riot at Detroit’s Southwestern High following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Carson said he doesn’t remember the names of the students, since it happened more than 50 years ago, but recalls the incident took place in a lab. “It may have happened, but I didn’t see it myself or hear about it,” Gregory Vartanian, a white classmate of Carson’s, told sources. Although no evidence has emerged to verify the story, no evidence has emerged to disprove it either. What ever happened to the presumption of innocence?^[1]

4. Carson lied about meeting General Westmoreland: Politico also called into question whether Carson really met the four-star general. In his book, Carson claims he was chosen to march in the city memorial parade during his senior year. Afterwards, his high school introduced him to General Westmoreland and they had dinner together.

Records reveal that Carson, or more likely his ghost writer, Cecil Murphey, probably got the date wrong by a few months. Westmoreland was not in Detroit on Memorial Day 1969, though he did visit during February of that year, which was when Carson likely met the general.^[1]

There are indeed plenty of stories, anecdotes and opinions purported by Ben Carson that are worthy of skepticism. The challenge, however, is separating reality from half-baked truths and outright lies. Any presidential front-runner should be rigorously questioned. That’s exactly what we do here at MediaFactWatch.com.

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Source:

[1] NewsMax.com