HUD Sec Ben Carson Blames His Wife For 31,000 Dollar Table Purchase

Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, told a House committee on Tuesday that he had "dismissed" himself from the decision to buy a $31,000 dining room set for his office last year, leaving the details to his wife and staff.

Mr. Carson offered a rambling, at times contradictory, explanation of the purchase of the table, chairs and hutch, a transaction that turned into a public relations disaster that led President Trump to consider replacing him, according to White House aides.

The hearing, before the House Appropriations subcommittee that determines the Department of Housing and Urban Development's budget, was supposed to center on the administration's proposed budget cuts to the agency. Instead it was dominated by questions about Mr. Carson's judgment, the conduct of his wife, Candy Carson, and son Ben Carson Jr., and Mr. Carson's initial denial that he was aware of the expenditure, a position he has modified.