PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — A defiant Ben Carson on Friday rejected the idea his past descriptions of receiving a scholarship offer to attend West Point were inaccurate, and he called questions about the veracity of the story irrelevant to his campaign for president.
“I think what it shows, and these kinds of things show, is there is a desperation on behalf of some to try to find a way to tarnish me,” Carson told reporters.
Following a story published by Politico on Friday, his campaign sought to clarify Carson’s story about his interest in attending the U.S. Military Academy in his book, “Gifted Hands,” in which he outlines his participation with the ROTC, while in high school.
“I was offered a full scholarship to West Point,” Carson wrote in the 1996 book. “But I let them know that a military career wasn’t where I saw myself going. “
Campaign spokesman Doug Watts said “folks from West Point” told him they could help him get an appointment, but “but in the end did not seek admission.”
Students granted admission to West Point are not awarded scholarships. Instead, the academy provides tuition, room and board and expenses in exchange for five years of service in the Army.
