Ben Carson: I Challenged Al Sharpton to a Debate

Monday on Fox News Channel’s “America’s Newsroom,” former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Ben Carson discussed the unfolding events in Ferguson, MO and what sort of steps ought to be taken to quell the violence stemming from the protests tied to the police shooting of Michael Brown.

Carson was asked to offers his views of MSNBC host and activist Al Sharpton and his actions in Ferguson directly. In his response, Carson revealed he had challenged Sharpton to a debate, to which according to Carson, Sharpton was receptive of the possibility.

“[I] had an opportunity to speak with Rev. Sharpton at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner,” Carson said. “[I] said we want the same kind of things but we have didn’t approaches to achieving them. What do you think about a public debate to talk about the various ways we can get this done? And he was initially enthusiastic about that. You the offer still stands. These are things that need to be discussed and we need to bring out in the open. What are the raw issues and how do we solve them. We will never do that if we remain in our separate corners and cast aspersions.”

Follow Jeff Poor on Twitter @jeff_poor