President-elect Donald Trump is considering former Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The Journal quoted Carson adviser Armstrong Williams as its source. Williams later tweeted that Carson is still “considering” a Cabinet post.
@RealDonaldTrump is considering @RealBenCarson for a cabinet post. Dr. Carson is prayerfully & seriously considering. How humbling!
— Armstrong Williams (@Arightside) November 23, 2016
Carson suggested an announcement was imminent on earlier on Wednesday.
Earlier this month, Williams said Carson would not be serving in the administration.
“Dr. Carson feels he has no government experience, he’s never run a federal agency. The last thing he would want to do was take a position that could cripple the presidency,” Carson adviser Armstrong Williams told The Hill.
But Carson contradicted that statement with his own Facebook message.
Carson was among the candidates that Trump defeated in the Republican primary. During the campaign, at a time when Carson’s poll numbers were high in Iowa, Trump mocked Carson’s account of attacking a friend with a knife when he was a teenager. Carson said his friend’s belt buckle stopped the knife.
When Carson dropped out, he supported Trump.
The Department of Housing and Urban Development says its mission is “to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable housing for all.”
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