HUD’s internal watchdog said it found no evidence of misconduct on Carson’s part in the controversial purchase
Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has been cleared of wrongdoing in the planned purchase of more than $31,000 in dining room furniture for his office.
“We did not find sufficient evidence to substantiate allegations of misconduct on the part of Secretary Carson in connection with this procurement,” HUD’s Office of the Inspector General said in a report.
The furniture purchase came to light in February 2018, stirring up controversy for Carson and fueling calls for an investigation into the purchase. The inspector general’s report said that while HUD officials did allocate $31,561 for the purchase of the furniture without informing congressional appropriations committees – as required by law for any purchase over $5,000 – the furniture wasn’t ultimately purchased, CNBC reported.
Carson canceled the order on May 1, 2018, after media reports had fueled a furor over the purchase.
The officials responsible for the purchase were aware of the law requiring them to inform Congress, but either failed to consider it or did not understand that it applied to them, according to the report.
The inspector general’s office said that it found no evidence that Carson “exerted improper influence on any departmental employee in connection with the purchase.”
A HUD spokesperson told NBC News that the department was “working to address the legal ramifications of the dining-room-furniture procurement and to prevent any future appropriations-law violations.”
