Politico Forced to Drop Claims of ‘Fabrication’ in Ben Carson Hit Piece

As Dr. Ben Carson rises in the polls, attacks on his character should have been expected — but we should have at least expected them to be true.

Never underestimate the capacity of the media to propagandize against Republicans.

That’s the theme of this morning’s overwrought news coverage on Dr. Ben Carson’s supposed “lie” regarding a “scholarship” to West Point. The story began with Politico, which ran with the audacious headline, “Ben Carson admits fabricating West Point scholarship.” Even I was taken in by the headline – after all, that’s a pretty bold claim!

Politico began thusly:

“Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.”

The key word here is “fabricated.” Did the Carson campaign admit any such thing? Absolutely not. The facts reported by Politico don’t even support this interpretation of the Carson campaign’s response. According to Politico, Carson said in his 1992 memoir Gifted Hands that he was offered a “full scholarship” to West Point after dining with General William Westmoreland in 1969. Here’s the relevant passage from Carson’s autobiography:

“At the end of my twelfth grade I marched at the head of the Memorial Day parade. I felt so proud, my chest bursting with ribbons and braids of every kind. To make it more wonderful, We had important visitors that day. Two soldiers who had won the Congressional Medal of Honor in Viet Nam were present. More exciting to me, General William Westmoreland (very prominent in the Viet Nam war) attended with an impressive entourage. Afterward, Sgt. Hunt introduced me to General Westmoreland, and I had dinner with him and the Congressional Medal winners. Later I was offered a full scholarship to West Point. I didn’t refuse the scholarship outright, but I let them know that a military career wasn’t where I saw myself going.”

So Dr. Ben Carson never actually said he applied to West Point. As many began attacking the very premise of Politico’s hit piece, they were forced multiple times to correct their own story, as Breitbart reports:

The story, bearing the byline of reporter Kyle Cheney, now omits the original version’s declarations that Carson’s statements were false or fraudulent, as seen in an archive of the article.

The original headline reads: “Ben Carson admits fabricating West Point scholarship.”

The updated headline reads: “Exclusive: Carson claimed West Point ‘scholarship’ but never applied.”

The original lede reads: “Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated.”

The update reads: “Republican hits POLITICO story, later admits to The New York Times he wasn’t offered aid.”

The article’s original first paragraph reads:

Ben Carson’s campaign on Friday admitted, in a response to an inquiry from POLITICO, that a central point in his inspirational personal story was fabricated: his application and acceptance into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

The updated first paragraph reads:

Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson on Friday conceded that he never applied nor was granted admission to West Point and attempted to recast his previous claims of a full scholarship to the military academy — despite numerous public and written statements to the contrary over the last few decades.

Later on, the original draft states: “When presented with this evidence, Carson’s campaign conceded the story was false.”

The updated story has amended this story to: “When presented by POLITICO with these facts, Carson’s campaign conceded he never applied.”

Left unchecked, Politico’s witch hunt into Dr. Ben Carson’s past could have been damning evidence against the prospective presidential candidate. Instead, it now become yet more proof of the unfair liberal bias with which the mainstream media writes.

Source: The Daily Wire, Breitbart