Top Ben Carson Aide Fired for Once Criticizing Donald Trump in Op-Ed

A top official in the Housing and Urban Development Department was pushed out because he once wrote an anti-Donald Trump op-ed for The Hill during the 2016 election.

“Shermichael Singleton, who was one of the few black conservatives in the Trump administration, had been working at the Department of Housing and Urban Development since Jan. 23 as a senior adviser,” reports The New York Times. “He was preparing a cross-country tour for [Ben Carson], who is expected to be confirmed by the Senate this month.”

But the “background check” of Singleton pulled up his October opinion piece. “A Republican asks: Aren’t we morally obliged to stand up to Trump?” he wrote.

“My party in particular has allowed itself to be taken over by someone who claims to be a Republican but doesn’t represent any of our values, principles or traditions.We allowed that hostile takeover to happen on our watch,” he wrote. “This individual recognized a moment of great disparity in the Republican base and, like cancer, attacked and spread, consuming everything in his path.”

Reportedly, Singleton expressed regret for the piece and promised to support the president when the White House asked about it, but it wasn’t enough to save his job. HUD officials confirmed Singleton’s dismissal to the Times, but they himself could not comment on the reason why. “I can’t talk about that,” they claimed.

[image via screengrab]

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