WASHINGTON â A Democratic congressman is calling on Ben Carson to withdraw his nomination as secretary of housing and urban development because of his utter lack of qualifications for the job.
âRemember the famous commercial where a man is flying a helicopter and reveals heâs not a pilot but he did âstay at a Holiday Inn Express last nightâ? Trumpâs nomination of Dr. Ben Carson to lead HUD reminds me of that commercial,â Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Calif.) said in a statement on Monday. ââDo you have any experience running a large federal agency or knowledge of housing and urban development?â âNo, but I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.ââ
Hereâs that commercial:
Lieu made his comments just hours after President-elect Donald Trump tapped Carson, a retired neurosurgeon who has never held public office, to oversee the nationâs housing policy. Carson had previously said through a spokesman that he doesnât consider himself qualified to run a federal agency.
The congressman said the nomination âwould actually be funny if it werenât so tragic.â Among other programs, HUD oversees efforts to fight housing discrimination and aid homeless veterans.
âI call on Dr. Carson to do the right thing, follow his own prior statements which indicated he wasnât qualified to lead a federal agency, and withdraw,â Lieu said. âAmerica is the greatest nation on earth. We are not a TV reality show or a funny commercial.â
The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment.