HUD Secretary Ben Carson Mistakes REOs For Oreos, And This Stuff Just Writes Itself
Ben Carson is a former pediatric neurosurgeon. He's also, for reasons, the Secretary Of Housing And Urban Development, and has been so since 2017 (a mortal age, in Trump Cabinet years). Yesterday, he visited Congress to testify before the House Financial Services Committee, and was questioned by, among others, California Representative Katie Porter.
I asked @SecretaryCarson about REOs – a basic term related to foreclosure – at a hearing today. He thought I was referring to a chocolate sandwich cookie. No, really. pic.twitter.com/cYekJAkRag
— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) May 21, 2019
Saturday Night Live ended its 44th season on Saturday. Perhaps this moment, in which a sitting member of the Cabinet mistakes a term purportedly within his realm of expertise for a cookie, isn't just a mistake. Perhaps this is Ben Carson's means of exacting revenge against a long-in-the-tooth sketch comedy institution that his boss really hates. Perhaps he's just taunting them, because that bewildered "Oreos?" is fucking comedy gold.
Carson also tried to pull a "reclaiming my time," which is not how testifying before Congress works. But stuff like that is just kind of Ben Carson's thing:
USA Today included a tweeted response from Oreo in its reporting on the incident, but it would seem that the tweet in question has since been deleted (a wise move, as "Really Excellent Oreo" is pretty lame). Carson also responded, with—per the note to Porter—"O'REO(s)."
OH, REO! Thanks, @RepKatiePorter. Enjoying a few post-hearing snacks. Sending some your way! pic.twitter.com/q4MMTBWVUI
— Archive: Ben Carson (@SecretaryCarson) May 21, 2019
And that's just a whole other bunch of mess. Yes, this is hilarious, but also this man is in a position of power, in a branch of government that directly affects the lives of millions of people, and he does not have the slightest fucking idea what he is doing. That's a lot less funny.