Carson: No regrets about defending friend convicted of fraud
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson is defending himself against accusations of hypocrisy for providing character witness for a friend who was convicted of healthcare fraud.
“I am extremely comfortable with what was done there, and it’s completely consistent with my morals and values,” said Carson in an interview with Yahoo News anchor Katie Couric published online Friday.
Couric prodded Carson about an Associated Press investigation of the retired neurosurgeon’s personal and business ties to the Pittsburgh dentist Alfonso A. Costa, who pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud in 2008.
{mosads}The AP investigation details lucrative business ties between Carson and Costa, including real estate investments that are reportedly netting the Carsons between $200,000 and $2 million per year.
Couric pointed out to Carson that he was a character witness at Costa’s trial, but in his book “America the Beautiful” he rails against people who commit medical fraud, saying they should be punished severely.
“Can you understand why people might find your action with your friend and what you’ve written in your book to be hypocritical?” Couric asked.
“I do understand why people might, because they don’t know everything I know about that particular case,” Carson said.
Declaring that he was not going to re-litigate the case in public, Carson described Costa as “one of my closest, if not my closest friend in the world.”
“I know his heart. He’s a person who is extraordinarily honest,” Carson said.
“But he was convicted of fraud,” Couric replied.
“Yeah, well, you know, there are people who get convicted of things for various and sundry reasons, and you know there’s a whole host of those individuals,” Carson said.
“I have no doubts about Alfonso Costa and his honesty.”
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