Satire from Ted Block
AROUND THE BLOCK
News
with a Twist
Ben Carson Defends
Purchase of $31,000 Dining Set at Congressional Hearing
Claims new furniture
required for ‘safety reasons’
The New York Times reported that Ben Carson, the secretary of
housing and urban development, told a House committee on Tuesday he failed to
adhere to a $5,000 federal spending cap for the purchase of a $31,000 lavish
mahogany dining room set for his office out of concern for safety — not for
decorative purposes.
Mr. Carson, appearing before Congress for the first time
since the purchase of the table, chairs and hutch was made public,
appeared annoyed when a Democrat at the hearing suggested that he was guilty of
“ethical lapses” and turning over key decisions to members of his family.
“People were stuck by nails, and a chair had collapsed with
someone sitting in it,” said Mr. Carson, apparently referring to an email, sent
by a senior aide last summer, in which she expressed the fear that the old
dining set was falling apart and could lead to a mishap.
To justify his reasons for seeking
replacements, Carson, for the first time, revealed pictures of the office furniture
he inherited.
Office dining table
Office dining chair
After showing the pictures of the unsafe furniture Carson
added, “I even went down to the HUD basement to look at some surplus
furniture that was stored there."
HUD basement furniture inventory
"Didn't look like what was there was going to work
so I asked my staff to make the purchases of the new stuff.”
Carson closed his testimony by saying,
“Perhaps I should have been more transparent and made all these pictures public
before the new furniture was purchased. But, make no mistake; I’ve learned my
lesson. My next project is to replace the stairs leading to my office and in
the interests of full disclosure, here is a photo of the stairs I will be
replacing.”
HUD stairway to Secretary's office
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