The White House Friday ridiculed claims by GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson that China is involved in the fighting in Syria’s civil war.
Told that Mr. Carson is promising to make public his proof about China’s involvement very soon, White House press secretary Josh Earnest replied, “Maybe it violates my job description as a spokesperson to be speechless. But I think in this case, I am.”
Mr. Carson first made the claim in Tuesday’s Republican presidential debate, which the White House rejected. National Security Adviser Susan E. Rice said Thursday she had “not seen any evidence of Chinese military involvement in Syria.”
But Mr. Carson told CNN on Friday that his information is better than the intelligence that the White House is getting.
“I have several sources that I’ve gotten material from,” Mr. Carson said. “I’m surprised that my material is better than theirs.”
He said he will offer proof about his claims “before the weekend is over.”
President Obama also rejected Mr. Carson’s comments that defeating the Islamic State would be easy.
Mr. Carson “doesn’t know much about it,” the president told ABC News in an interview aired Friday.
“Over the last several years, I’ve had access to all the best military minds in the country and all the best foreign policy minds in the country, and I’m not running for office. And so my only interest is in success,” Mr. Obama said.
• Dave Boyer can be reached at dboyer@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.