Carson blocked from greeting crowds during pope’s visit to Capitol

GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson last week was turned away from the Speaker’s Balcony, where he had hoped to wave to a crowd of thousands who had gathered on the Capitol’s East Lawn to hear from Pope Francis.

{mosads}A source in Speaker John Boehner’s (R-Ohio) office told The Hill that Rep. Mark Sanford (R-S.C.) tried to escort Carson to the balcony before the pope addressed the crowd, but they were stopped by security.

Carson, a retired neurosurgeon, was Sanford’s guest at the pope’s historic address to a joint meeting of Congress on Thursday. The pope later blessed thousands of well-wishers who had been camped out for hours on the East Lawn.

There was no immediate comment from Sanford’s office.

Not all lawmakers were blocked from the highly secured Speaker’s Balcony, however. Former Senate President Pro Tempore Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) was spotted before the pope’s address, snapping photos of the crowd below.

It would have been awkward for only Carson to be able to greet the more than 5,000 people who gathered outside the Capitol. Other GOP presidential rivals, including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Marco Rubio (Florida) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.), and New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie were on hand to see the speech inside the House Chamber.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and fellow Democratic hopeful Martin O’Malley, the former governor of Maryland, also attended the event.

–This report was updated at 1:21 p.m.