Ben Carson, the soft-spoken Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, is the latest victim of a brutal take down by The Daily Show's Trevor Noah. There were two reasons: hypocrisy on HUD budgets, and farting on Fox News.
On Wednesday night, Noah discussed how "fiscally conservative" Carson decided it would be a good idea to spend $31,000 of taxpayer money on a new dining set for his government office. The funds were supposed to be for "the homeless and elderly and poor," CBS news noted.
Watch the segment below:
Carson promised to cut costs in his department when he started his job, but Noah mercilessly called this claim "bullshit." HUD's budget allows a maximum of $5,000 to be spent on updated office furnishings. Noah referred to Carson as "a king doing some shady shit at his department."
"Does Ben Carson think a good chair costs $5,000?" asked Noah. "This guy would be the worst Price is Right contestant." Noah, unable to let this whole $5,000 chair issue go, pointed out that "you can get a sex chair off of Amazon that will literally sodomize you, and it's $49.99 with free shipping."
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"And why does he need dining room and lounge furniture?" Twitter user 305 Pirate asked. "Doesn't anyone in this admin realize they got a job, not a vaca condo?"
But the scandal is even worse than just a dining room set. Noah pointed out that Carson's department spent $165,000 on "lounge furniture." That money, Noah quipped, could have been used to "build a poor person a decent house. Or three uncomfortable houses, whichever way you want to go."
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Following more footage of Carson issuing nearly-incoherent answers to questions about his proposed budget cuts, Noah cut to an interview between Carson and Jeanine Pirro on Fox News.
It was then Noah revealed just how full of hot air Carson truly is.
"Ben Carson didn't just fart loudly on TV," Noah remarked. "He did so while quoting scripture." As funny and seemingly fitting as this moment was, Noah reminded his viewers of what was really important.
"But let's not let this hilarious moment distract us from the real issue," Noah professed. "While supporting deep budget cuts to his department, Carson is spending lavishly on dining sets and lounge furniture and $5,000 chairs, which is not OK."
On Thursday, HUD announced that the furniture order was canceled, but not because of budget hypocrisy. Carson just would have "preferred used furniture all along."
