Ben Carson Claims He ‘Saw The Film’ of American Muslims Celebrating on 9/11
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson backed up Donald Trump‘s claim that thousands of Muslims in New Jersey partied on September 11, 2001, telling a journalist that he had actually seen video of the incident.
ABC News’ Katherine Faulders tweeted out video of the exchange Monday afternoon.
WATCH: @RealBenCarson tells ABC he saw news footage of Muslims in New Jersey cheering as towers fell on 9/11: https://t.co/DJCSJdZxXS
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) November 23, 2015
.@RealBenCarson tells me he “saw the film” of American Muslims cheering as the towers fell in New Jersey on 9/11.
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) November 23, 2015
When Carson says “he saw the film” of American Muslims cheering on 9/11 he tells me he’s referring to the news coverage at the time. — Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) November 23, 2015
Trump’s initial accusation was met with skepticism, with The Washington Post Fact Checker giving it their lowest score. In its fact check, the Post explicitly noted that “an extensive examination of news clips from that period turns up nothing.”
It’s possible Carson was thinking of the (unquestionably real) footage of the jubilant celebrations that broke out in East Jerusalem, which was widely aired in the aftermath of 9/11.
UPDATE –– 5:50 pm EST: Carson’s campaign is now walking this all back:
NEW from Carson camp: "It was a mistake on his part and he clearly wasn't really thinking about New Jersey." via @KFaulders
— Rick Klein (@rickklein) November 23, 2015
also from Carson camp (!) : "He doesn't stand behind his comments to New Jersey and American Muslims." via @KFaulders
— Rick Klein (@rickklein) November 23, 2015
[Image via screengrab]
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