Famed neurosurgeon Ben Carson smells dissent within his ranks.
“I thought it was ridiculous, obviously someone is making an attempt to sabotage,” Carson told the Washington Examiner. “I don’t know who this is, but there’s no truth to it whatsoever. I talked to my campaign and they said things are going as well as possible.”
The neurosurgeon-turned-presidential-hopeful denied chaos within his campaign following the publication of a Washington Post article, which reported the loss of four senior campaign staffers and the sweeping disarray within his two allied super PACs. He also denied any knowledge of the source of the “sabotage.”
Campaign chairman Terry Giles resigned last month with the intention of forming a third super PAC. Leaving along with Giles was deputy campaign manager Stephen Rubino, a longtime Giles associate, as well as national finance chairman Jeff Reeter and general counsel Kathy Freberg. With the loss of these key aides, Carson is left with few experienced, high-level political operatives
According to the article in question, this significant loss of staff has created “turmoil” for Carson’s 2016 run, as the aides have yet to be replaced. The Post went on to highlight concerns of “dysfunction” due to “amateurism.” This is Carson’s first time running for elected office.
But he’s not worried about the loss of staffers or the apparent confusion within his PACs. His business manager Armstrong Williams says that Carson prefers to stay as “far away from the PACs as possible” so he can focus on the people.
“It was decided when we switched over from our exploratory committee to our actual campaign that many people would leave it,” Carson explained. “There was nothing rancorous about it. I was surprised about the Washington Post article to be honest. ”
“I’m paying very careful attention to politics because I’m so new to it all,” Carson added.
Carson currently has two super PACs involved in his campaign, Run Ben Run and One Nation. But Giles has resigned with the aim of forming a third, which he hopes will dissolve the other two existing PACs. It is uncommon for a campaign to have more than one organization competing for donations and volunteers. Giles reportedly hope to convince Carson’s two other super PACs to cease operations so he can start one unified super PAC.
But those closest to Carson have a surprisingly sunny outlook. Communications director Deana Bass said that Carson’s campaign currently has over 140,000 donors, is leading in recent national surveys and just won the straw poll at the Southern Republican Leadership Conference.
Bass also denied the plausibility of the Post story, stating that it is untrue on “too many levels to respond to every point,” and “is typical of a Washington political class that fails to recognize the grassroots strength” of a candidate like Carson.
“Team Carson is definitely not in chaos, just the opposite,” Williams said. “Surging in polls, record crowds and substantial dollars pouring in daily. How sad the credible Washington Post would do the dirty work of disgruntled departed former staffers. Such is life, and Team Carson continues chugging along.”
