Trump's Controversial Appointment Of Carson: Legal Or Not?

In 2016, Donald Trump appointed Ben Carson as the U.S. secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Carson was confirmed by a Senate vote of 58-41 on March 2, 2017, and left office on January 20, 2021. However, before his appointment, Helen Foster, a chief administrative officer in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, claimed she was demoted after refusing to exceed the legal price limit for redecorating Carson's office. Foster was told that $5,000 was insufficient, even for a decent chair. This incident raises the question of whether Trump broke the law by appointing Carson, as it suggests that the Trump administration was willing to break the law to accommodate Carson's requests.

Helen Foster demoted for refusing to break the law

In February 2018, Helen Foster, a senior career official and former chief administrative officer in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), claimed that she was demoted and replaced with a Donald Trump appointee after refusing to break the law by funding an expensive redecoration of HUD Secretary Ben Carson's office.

According to Foster, she was instructed to "find money" for Carson's wife, Candy, to redecorate her husband's office suite, exceeding the legal price limit of $5,000. When Foster informed her bosses of the statutory limit, she was told that "$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair." Despite pressure to find ways around the spending limit, Foster refused to comply.

As a result of her refusal, Foster claims she was demoted and replaced with Suzanne Israel Tufts, a veteran Republican operative from Trump's home county, who was nominated by Trump as HUD's assistant secretary for administration. Foster's attorney, Joseph Kaplan, filed a complaint to the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) in November 2017, alleging that HUD violated laws protecting whistleblowers from reprisals. The complaint also revealed that Foster faced retaliation for exposing a $10 million budget shortfall and for protesting when she was barred from handling sensitive Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests relating to Trump, as she was perceived to be a Democrat.

Foster seeks a public apology, compensatory damages, and reinstatement as HUD's chief administrative officer. The OSC, which investigates allegations of improper treatment of civil servants, has not commented on the pending case. HUD spokesman Raffi Williams also declined to comment, referring inquiries to the OSC.

This incident highlights the potential consequences of refusing to comply with unlawful requests within the Trump administration, as Foster's career was negatively impacted by her stand against breaking the law.

Trump's redecoration budget exceeded the legal limit

According to a complaint from Helen Foster, a former chief administrative officer in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Donald Trump broke the law by appointing Ben Carson as the secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Foster claims that she was demoted and replaced by a Trump appointee after refusing to exceed the legal price limit for redecorating Ben Carson's office.

The statutory limit for improvements to Carson's office suite was $5,000, but Foster was told that this amount "will not even buy a decent chair". The day before Trump's inauguration, acting HUD Director Craig Clemmensen instructed Foster to "find money" for Mrs Carson to redecorate her husband's office space, stating that previous administrations had "always found ways around that in the past".

Despite Foster's refusal to break the law, the Trump administration went ahead with their plans to redecorate Carson's office, exceeding the legal budget limit. This incident highlights a potential abuse of power and a lack of regard for legal constraints within the administration.

As a result of her refusal to comply with the administration's unlawful demands, Foster faced negative consequences in her career. She was reassigned to a different position and her original role was absorbed by a new appointee. Foster's attorney, Joseph Kaplan, filed a complaint to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel, seeking a public apology, reinstatement to her previous position, and compensatory damages for his client.

Foster reassigned to a new position

Helen Foster, a former chief administrative officer in the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), was reassigned to the position of chief privacy and Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) officer. This came after she refused to exceed the legal price limit for redecorating HUD Secretary Ben Carson's office.

Foster filed a complaint letter to a watchdog agency for federal employees, in which she stated that she was told "$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair" after informing her superiors of the statutory limit for improvements to Carson's office. She also alleged that she was prevented from handling two sensitive FOIA requests dealing with Trump because she was perceived as a Democrat.

Foster's new role as chief privacy and FOIA officer was absorbed by Suzanne Israel Tufts, a veteran Republican operative from Trump's home county, who was nominated by Trump to replace Foster as HUD's assistant secretary for administration. The Senate later confirmed Tufts' appointment.

As a result of her reassignment, Foster claimed that her reputation had been ruined and she sought a public apology, reinstatement to her previous position, and compensatory damages.

Foster's complaint alleges a $10.8 million budget shortfall

Helen Foster, a former chief administrative officer in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, filed a complaint letter to a federal employee watchdog agency. In the letter, obtained by The Guardian, Foster alleges that she was demoted and replaced with an appointee of President Donald Trump after refusing to exceed the legal price limit for redecorating HUD Secretary Ben Carson's office.

Foster's complaint also alleges that a $10.8 million budget shortfall was discovered in May in her department's budget due to "accounting irregularities" in 2016. This shortfall was not reported, according to Foster, in violation of the law.

Foster claims that she was told "$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair" after informing her superiors that this amount was the statutory limit for improvements to Carson's office. According to the complaint, acting HUD Director Craig Clemmensen told Foster to "find money" for Mrs. Carson and that previous administrations had "always found ways around that in the past."

Foster seeks a public apology, reinstatement to her previous position, and compensatory damages. HUD and the Office of Special Counsel have not commented on the pending case.

Carson's role as HUD Secretary

On March 2, 2017, Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr., M.D., was sworn in as the 17th Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). Carson, a retired neurosurgeon-turned-politician, served as HUD secretary during Donald Trump's first administration. He was one of the few cabinet-level appointees in the first Trump administration to remain in his role for the entirety of the term.

During his tenure as HUD secretary, Carson oversaw the rollback of the Barack Obama-era affirmatively furthering fair housing rule, initially advocated for changes to local zoning regulations to permit more construction, and repeatedly sought to reduce the budget of the agency.

Carson was also involved in a controversy regarding the redecoration of his office. Helen Foster, a chief administrative officer in the Department of Housing and Urban Development, claimed she was demoted and replaced after refusing to exceed the legal price limit for redecorating Carson's office. According to Foster, she was told that "$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair" and was instructed to "find money" for the redecoration.

Prior to his role in the Trump administration, Carson had a distinguished career in medicine. He served as the Director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Children's Center for nearly 30 years, becoming the youngest major division director in the hospital's history at the age of 33. He received numerous honours and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Spingarn Medal, bestowed by the National Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NAACP).

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