Ben Carson Admits He Lied About Getting Into West Point on a Full Scholarship
Actually, he never even applied.
Ben Carson, the retired neurosurgeon and current Republican presidential frontrunner, fabricated a significant anecdote in his memoir “Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story”—and has repeatedly maintained the lie, Politico reported.
Carson told the tale that after meeting a decorated US general in 1969, when he was a 17-year-old high school student, he received an offer to attend the West Point Military Academy on a “full scholarship.” He has repeated the claim as recently as August of this year, saying he was “thrilled to get an offer from West Point.”
Here is Carson talking about his offer from West Point on August 13 of this year. Still up: https://t.co/PN3plMoTCl pic.twitter.com/wJxcNVpAZE
— Adam Peck (@AdamReports) November 6, 2015West Point, a prestigious four-year academy for future US Army officers, has no record of Carson ever applying for admission. Nor is there any such thing as a “full scholarship” to the academy—every cadet admitted has all his or her costs covered.
A Carson spokesperson conceded to Politico that the story was false, adding: “He considered it but in the end did not seek admission.”
Since overtaking Donald Trump in the Republican presidential race, Carson has come under increasing scrutiny, including claims that he was a violent youth who turned his life around, and his belief that Egypt’s pyramids were a storehouse for biblical grain.