{"slug":"trump-first-term-ben-carson-hud-dining-set","title":"Ben Carson HUD Furniture: $31,000 Dining Set Purchased in Violation of Federal Spending Limits","date":"2017-09-01","lastUpdated":"2019-01-14","description":"Ben Carson, Trump's Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, ordered a $31,000 dining room set for his office in 2017 at a time when HUD was proposing steep cuts to programs serving the poor. The purchase violated a federal law limiting office redecoration spending to $5,000 without Congressional approval. A HUD employee who raised concerns about the purchase was reportedly reassigned. Carson ultimately canceled the order after the purchase became public in February 2018.","summary":"The $31,561 dining set — table, chairs, and hutch — was ordered in September 2017 for Carson's HUD suite. A career HUD employee, Helen Foster, filed a complaint alleging she was reassigned after she raised concerns about the legality of the purchase. Foster said she was told by HUD leadership that the order would go forward and that 'someone' had ordered it who outranked her. After the purchase became public in February 2018, Carson and his wife initially disputed involvement; subsequent reporting found text messages showing his wife Candy Carson personally directed the purchase and selected items. Carson reimbursed HUD and the set was canceled. The HUD inspector general investigated.","category":"corruption","severity":"significant","ongoing":false,"sources":[{"url":"https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/27/us/politics/ben-carson-hud-table.html","title":"Ben Carson's $31,000 Dining Set Draws Scrutiny","publisher":"The New York Times"},{"url":"https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ben-carson-hud-dining-table-31000/2018/02/27/story.html","title":"HUD ordered $31,000 dining table for Carson's office, violating spending rules","publisher":"The Washington Post"},{"url":"https://apnews.com/article/ben-carson-hud-dining-set-investigation","title":"HUD employee says she was reassigned for raising concerns about dining set purchase","publisher":"The Associated Press"}],"draft":false,"status":"published","tags":["Carson","HUD","first-term","corruption","spending-violation","whistleblower","federal-law"],"relatedEntries":[],"timeline":[{"date":"2017-09-01","title":"Dining set ordered — $31,561 in violation of $5,000 limit","summary":"HUD orders a $31,561 dining set for Carson's office suite, violating the federal $5,000 cap on office redecoration without Congressional approval. Helen Foster, a career HUD official, objects and is subsequently reassigned."},{"date":"2018-02-27","title":"Purchase becomes public — Carson disputes involvement","summary":"The Washington Post and New York Times report the dining set purchase. Carson says he was unaware of the price and disputes directing the purchase. HUD issues statements suggesting it was handled by staff."},{"date":"2018-03-01","title":"Texts show Candy Carson directed purchase — IG investigation launched","summary":"Reporting reveals text messages showing Candy Carson personally selected the furnishings. The HUD inspector general opens an investigation. Carson cancels the order and reimburses HUD."},{"date":"2019-01-14","title":"IG report released — confirms violation, finds no criminal referral warranted","summary":"The HUD IG releases its report finding the purchase violated federal law and that HUD failed to follow proper procedures. The report does not recommend criminal referral but criticizes the procurement process."}],"location":{"name":"HUD Headquarters, Washington, D.C.","lat":38.8844,"lng":-77.0163},"custom":{"era":"first-term","posture":"reported","warCrimeClassification":"enabling","internationalLaw":[],"iccRelevance":false,"victims":"Federal taxpayers; HUD employees including whistleblower Helen Foster who raised concerns about the purchase; low-income Americans whose housing programs faced cuts while department resources went to luxury furnishings","structuredPerpetrators":[{"name":"Ben Carson","role":"HUD Secretary; ordered $31,561 dining set in violation of the $5,000 federal spending limit; initially disputed involvement; his wife Candy Carson was documented in texts directing the purchase","institution":"Department of Housing and Urban Development"}],"updateLog":[{"date":"2019-01-14","summary":"Updated with IG report findings."}]}}