Ben Carson claims he is not to blame for the expensive furniture ordered for his new Housing and Urban Development office.
But apparently his wife might be involved.
Earlier this week, The Guardian reported that senior official Helen Foster and her lawyer Joseph Kaplan accused Ben Carson and the HUD for demoting her over a dispute regarding the decorating budget for his HUD office. In the lawsuit, Foster said she would not sign off on more than $5,000 in new furniture because it was against policy. She also noted that Ben Carson’s wife, Candy Carson, was mostly in charge of the redecorations.
A $31,000 dining table set was reportedly purchased on behalf of Carson— and that sent tongues wagging in Washington. Since the details of the expensive purchase have been released, Carson has chosen to speak out.
“I was as surprised as anyone to find out that a $31,000 dining set had been ordered,” Carson wrote in a statement via CNN. “I have requested that the order be canceled. We will find another solution for the furniture replacement.”
“My wife also looked at catalogs and wanted to be sure that the color of the chair fabric of any set that was chosen matched the rest of the decor,” Carson continued. ”I made it known that I was not happy about the prices being charged and that my preference would be to find something more reasonable.”
–Is Michelle Obama teasing Malia Obama about pics with her boyfriend ending up in the tabloids?–
The $31,000 charge is for a mahogany dining set that includes a table, sideboard, breakfront, and 10 chairs. What a bargain!
“They said they were looking for dining furniture for the secretary’s office because a new secretary was coming in and the current furniture was old and it was raggedy,” said Evelyn Sebree, owner of Sebree and Associates where the furniture was purchased.
Keep it classy, DC!