Rep. Katie Porter said Tuesday her viral exchange with Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson when he misheard her say “Oreos” while asking questions about REOs left her “disappointed.”
“I was asking serious questions about serious problems that Americans are facing. The foreclosure rate continues to exist at FHA and the foreclosure proceedings and processes have been bad for over 15 years that I’ve worked on the issue,” the California Democrat said on CNN’s “Erin Burnett Outfront” show.
Mr. Carson joked about his blunder on social media and even sent a family-size pack of Double Stuf Oreos to Ms. Porter’s office
“While I was pleased to receive correspondence [Oreos] from him what I’m looking for is answers. So I hope this is the first of a series of things that he sends to my office and I’m looking forward to receiving substantive answers as to how we can better help homeowners who find themselves struggling to make ends meet,” she said.
Ms. Porter also said Mr. Carson had a difference in tone depending on the gender of the representative.
Mr. Carson answered a question from Rep. Ayanna Pressley by repeating “you know the answer to that” and Rep. Nydia Velazquez by telling her a solution is “you and Congress will do your job.”
However, he responded to criticism from Rep. Ben McAdams with “your point is well taken.”
Ms. Porter said “there clearly was” a difference, adding, “I think what we saw from Secretary Carson with so many of the questions was an effort to kind of evade and dodge giving answers to the American people, which is the very point of him coming in to testify.”
“It’s nice that he gave Mr. McAdams, my colleague, an answer but the rest on the committee including the women, the young women, we deserve answers as well,” she said.
• Bailey Vogt can be reached at bvogt@washingtontimes.com.
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