It was widely questioned why Dr. Ben Carson decided to endorse Donald Trump. Now there is apparently a quid pro quo answer. Carson may have been promised a position in Trump’s administration should the Republican front-runner get the nomination and win the general election.
There are a lot of “ifs” here, and the first one occurs on whether Carson was actually offered a position in Trump’s cabinet, which would be a violation of federal law.
Monday, Carson told NewsMax TV, a conservative online site, that he backed Trump because he didn’t see any of the other candidates winning the race.
“I didn’t see a path for [John] Kasich, who I like,” he said, “or for [Marco] Rubio, who I like. As far as [Ted] Cruz is concerned, I don’t think he’s gonna be able to draw independents and Democrats unless he has some sort of miraculous change.”
The former candidate asked himself, “Is there another scenario that I would have preferred? Yes. But that scenario isn’t available.” He didn’t explain what that scenario would have been, unless he was referring to his own failed bid.
He stated that Trump had promised him a role in this administration. “Certainly in an advisory capacity,” he said.
A possible cabinet position? Carson clammed up at this point, refusing to divulge any details, “because all of this is still very liquid,” he said.
Federal law expressly prohibits candidates from promising positions or appointments for purposes of procuring support. The penalty for violations could include fines or a year in jail, and two years if the violation was willful.
When Carson was in the race, Trump often spoke up on his behalf, particularly when the Cruz campaign announced that Carson was dropping out of the race before he officially had.
