The Wall Street Journal claimed Thursday that Ben Carson said Donald Trump is considering picking a Democratic running mate. Yet the story as it appeared originally never showed the retired neurosurgeon saying this.
The article, which was written by reporters Reid J. Epstein and Beth Reinhard, was originally headlined, “Ben Carson Says Donald Trump Could Consider Democrat for Running Mate.”
It was published Thursday evening under the subhead, “Former GOP candidate, now a Trump ally, also takes his name out of the running as possible pick.”
However, there is nothing in the original 991-word article to back the claim that Carson said Trump’s team is looking at a possible Democratic running mate.
The only thing that the original report mentioned is that Carson had ruled himself out as a vice presidential nominee, and that the retired doctor said Trump was looking at a wide range of candidates.
“I’m not interested in doing that for a number of reasons,” Carson is quoted saying in the Journal report. “I don’t want to be a distraction. I’m sure you remember how crazy the media was about me, I don’t want to be a distraction, it’s too important a time in our life.”
The original article also quoted Carson, who is now a Trump adviser, as saying, “We would consider people who are Americans and who put America first.”
The Journal amended its report later Thursday evening to include a quote showing Carson had indeed said Trump is considering a Democratic running mate.
Updates to the story include a passage that reads, “Asked if Democrats and independents may be on the target list, Mr. Carson said ‘Yes,’ then added, ‘We would consider people who are Americans and who put America first.'”
The newer version of the story also includes a section that reads, “A spokesman for Mr. Carson later said he “fully expects Mr. Trump to choose a Republican as his running mate.”
There is no correction or editor’s note highlighting the changes to the article.
That report’s title has been revised so that it now reads, “Tensions Rise Over Republican VP Options.” The subhead has been also amended to, “Adviser Ben Carson says GOP front-runner Donald Trump could pick a Democrat or an independent.”
Neither Epstein nor Reinhard responded to the Washington Examiner’s requests for comments.
