In a long and sometimes combative interview that aired on Friday’s broadcast of CNN’s “New Day,” former Johns Hopkins neurosurgeon Dr. Ben Carson, a candidate for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, fielded a series of questions about his past from show host Alisyn Camerota.’
Carson called CNN’s efforts to verify details of childhood, including his claim he made in a “Meet the Press” interview last month that he was a violent teenage, “garbage.”
“One of the tactics that is used by you guys in the media, particularly when someone is doing very well, is let’s find a way to get them distracted,” Carson said.
CNN had been particularly aggressive with their efforts to verify the story in recent days, which Carson questioned.
“Tell me what makes you think that you’re going to find those specific people,” he said.
Carson also suggested there was a double standard at play, noting the media were not as aggressive with their effort in checking then-presidential candidate Barack Obama’s background.
“The so-called vetting that you all did with the president doesn’t even come close — doesn’t even come close to what you guys are trying to do in my case. You’re going to keep going back, trying to find, ‘he said this 12 years ago.’ It is just garbage. We have too many things that are important to deal with.”
Camerota defended her network’s efforts, to which Carson suggested it was time to move on.
“OK, you’ve done your job,” he added. “Kudos, let’s move on.”
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