Not content with Donald Trump having all the attention for his latest string of bigoted statements, Ben Carson told CNN today that he too saw footage of Muslim residents of New Jersey celebrating the 9/11 attacks:
Trump did get back up from his primary opponent Ben Carson, who told reporters gathered in Nevada that he did see celebrations of American Muslims in New Jersey after 9/11.
“I saw the film of it, yes,” he said. Asked what kind of film, he said: “The news reels.”
“There are going to be people who respond inappropriately to events like that. I think that was an inappropriate response I don’t know if on the basis on that you can say all Muslims are bad people,” Carson said.
ABC News also captured his remarks:
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
Trump’s campaign has been unable to substantiate the candidate’s claim that he saw “thousands and thousands” of Arab Americans celebrating 9/11 in Jersey City, probably because the video does not exist since the event he described didn’t happen.
Like Trump, Carson has expressed a number of anti-Muslim views, claiming that no Muslim should ever be elected president unless they renounce their faith and calling on the government to monitor mosques and other “anti-American” houses of worship.
UPDATE: His campaign now says he made a mistake and apologizes:
Carson camp on 9/11 comments: Carson was thinking about Middle East protests, not NJ. He doesn’t stand behind references and apologizes.
— Katherine Faulders (@KFaulders) November 23, 2015
