WASHINGTON (AP) — Recently released emails suggest that Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson and his wife had a hand in choosing a $31,000 dining set despite claims from the agency and the secretary himself that he didn’t play a role in making that selection.
One email posted by accountability organization American Oversight has the subject line, “Secretary’s Dining Room Furniture Needed.” The message, from a department staffer to Carson’s assistants, references “printouts of the furniture the Secretary and Mrs. Carson picked out.”
HUD has denied that Carson played a role in the dining set purchase, which prompted outrage. Carson has since asked to cancel the order.
In a statement Wednesday, HUD spokesman Raffi Williams said, “Mrs. Carson participated in the selection of specific styles” after being shown options.
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