GOP presidential hopeful Ben Carson tapped his son, Ben Carson Jr., to push back against new questions over the candidate’s background, with a new fundraising email Tuesday in which the younger man says his dad is “isn’t perfect, nor does he claim to be.”
Acknowledging a “tough” past couple of weeks for the campaign, the younger Mr. Carson said people are “lying” about his father.
“However, I know things will work out because he has two of the most powerful weapons on his side — the truth and pure intentions,” the son said in the email plea for funds.
The Carson campaign has proved very adept at fundraising, managing to shock fellow candidates by how much it’s raised.
The older Mr. Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, has surged in the polls nationally and in Iowa, whose caucuses kick off next year’s primary season. And that popularity has brought new scrutiny to his life story, with CNN questioning his claims that he led a violence-prone youth, and Politico, a Washington-based publication for political insiders, questioning his claim that he was offered a scholarship to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.
Mr. Carson has waved off some of the questions, backed up his story on some points, and most prominently accused the press of unfair treatment — including saying he’s facing tougher scrutiny than then-Sen. Barack Obama did during his 2007 and 2008 presidential campaign.
In Tuesday’s email plea, the younger Mr. Carson tried to cut through all of the competing claims.
“My dad, Dr. Ben Carson, isn’t perfect, nor does he claim to be — except maybe on the pool table. But he has lived his life in an exemplary fashion. He taught my brothers and me the importance of being honest and making choices that we wouldn’t come to regret,” the son said.
• Stephen Dinan can be reached at sdinan@washingtontimes.com.
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