Ben Carson Fires Back at CNN’s ‘Pathetic’ Investigation Into His Claims of Violent Juvenile Past
“This is a bunch of lies… I think it’s pathetic,” former neurosurgeon says before praising Fox News as the “counterbalance” that keeps the U.S. from becoming Cuba
Jordan Chariton | November 6, 2015 @ 5:48 AM
Last Updated: November 6, 2015 @ 7:36 AM
Ben Carson fired back at CNN on Friday for its “pathetic” investigation into his claims of being a violent child, and railed against what he deemed a corrupt media.
CNN interviewed nine of the GOP candidate’s former classmates and friends for an investigation which found no evidence to support his stories of violent acts toward family and friends as a juvenile.
“What makes you think you’re going to find those specific people?” Carson asked CNN’s Alisyn Camerota during an interview on “New Day.”
Carson claimed CNN spoke to people who knew him years after he committed violent acts. In response to why he declined to offer CNN evidence to back up claims of attacking family and friends as a juvenile, he said he didn’t want to victimize those people.
“This is a bunch of lies… I think it’s pathetic,” Carson said, claiming CNN is fishing for a scandal that doesn’t exist.
Carson then got into a tense exchange with Camerota over what he deemed widespread media bias, going as far as suggesting that without Fox News, the U.S. would be like Cuba.
“The general mainstream media all seems to move in a secular progressive direction,” he said.
“They would like to create a narrative that certain things are good and certain things are bad according to the way that they see them,” he continued, then praising one network for offering a counterbalance.
“We’d be Cuba if there were no Fox News,” he said. Camerota pushed back, asking Carson if he thought the U.S. was Communist before 2001, when Fox News took off ratings wise.
“If we didn’t have that counterbalance [Fox News] — I wish we didn’t need that counterbalance,” Carson continued, adding that the media is supposed to be neutral but has become “very partisan and very ideological.”
2016 Presidential Contenders: The Race to the White House (Photos)
Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz was the first person to officially throw his hat into the ring on March 23.
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Republican Senator Rand Paul announced his candidacy on April 7.
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Former First Lady and Secretary of State, Democrat Hillary Clinton announced she would again seek the Oval Office on April 12.
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A Tea Party favorite, Florida Senator Marco Rubio announced his candidacy on April 13.
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A self-described democratic socialist, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders announced he would run on April 28.
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A former Republican senator from Pennsylvania, Rick Santorum announced his second presidential bid on May 27.
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Former New York Governor George Pataki announced the launch of his presidential campaign with a YouTube video on May 28.
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Martin O'Malley, a Democrat and former governor of Maryland, joined the race on May 30.
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Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator from South Carolina, announced he would run for the highest office on June 1.
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A former Republican and independent governor of Rhode Island, Lincoln Chafee announced his bid for the Democratic nomination on June 3.
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Rick Perry threw his hat into the ring for a second time on June 4. The Republican was the longest serving governor in Texas history.
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The son of one former president and brother of another, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush announced his bid for the Republican nomination on June 15.
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Republican real estate mogul Donald Trump threw his hat into the presidential ring on June 16, saying he'd be “the greatest jobs president that God ever created.”
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"I'm running for President of the United States of America," tweeted Louisiana's Republican Governor Bobby Jindal, who used social media to announce his candidacy on June 24.
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After declaring that "both parties have failed our country," New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie announced his intention to run on June 30.
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Jim Webb, a decorated Vietnam vet and the former Democratic governor of Virginia, announced his candidacy on July 2.
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Wisconsin's Republican Governor Scott Walker announced his candidacy on July 13 with a campaign video.
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Ohio Governor John Kasich announced his candidacy for the Republican nomination on July 21, saying no other candidate else has his experience dealing with deficits, unemployment and national security.
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Jim Gilmore, former Army intelligence officer and Republican governor of Virginia, announced his candidacy on July 30.
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From Jeb Bush to Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, the race continues to grow
Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz was the first person to officially throw his hat into the ring on March 23.