February 21, 2018 VIA ELECTRONIC MAIL & FACSIMILE Helen M. Albert Acting Inspector General U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General 451 7th Street, SW Washington, DC 20410 HOTLINE@hudoig.gov Dear Inspector General Albert: Recently the Washington Post reported that HUD Secretary Ben Carson ignored the advice of agency counsel when he allowed his son, Ben Carson, Jr., to help organize a listening tour in Baltimore, MD in June of 2017.1 In response to those reports, Secretary Carson called for an independent investigation of his family’s actions.2 Reports also indicated that Secretary Carson’s daughter-in-law, Merlynn Carson, won a large government contract with another agency, raising further concerns about the degree of access and preferential treatment afforded to the Carson family. American Oversight--a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to accountable government—supports the Secretary’s request and urges your office to investigate these matters thoroughly. Secretary Carson avers that he did nothing wrong, but wellestablished rules prohibit using one’s public office to benefit oneself or one’s close family members. 3 In addition to the public reporting referenced above, we draw your attention to facts and inconsistencies about Ben Carson Jr.’s participation at HUD that may not be apparent from the public record—or indeed reflected in HUD’s internal recordkeeping. When American Oversight filed a records request for all instances of Ben Carson Jr. appearing in HUD’s visitor logs, HUD responded that there were no such records.4 The implication that Ben Carson Jr. did not visit HUD offices is not credible given the Juliet Eliperin & Jack Gillum, ‘Using his position for private gain’: Ben Carson Was Warned He Might Run Afoul of Ethics Rules by Enlisting His Son, WASH. POST, Jan. 31, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/using-his-position-for-private-gain-hud-lawyers-warned-bencarson-risked-running-afoul-of-ethics-rules-by-enlisting-son/2018/01/31/bb20c48e-0532-11e8-87772a059f168dd2_story.html?utm_term=.282f11dacf9c. 2 Juliet Eliperin, Carson Calls for HUD Inspector General to Review His Family's Role at the Department, WASH. POST, Feb. 2, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/postpolitics/wp/2018/02/02/carson-calls-for-hud-inspector-general-to-review-his-familys-role-at-thedepartment/?utm_term=.3162124e5dde. 3 See, e.g., 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702; 5 CFR § 2635.101(b)(14). 4 Letter from Deborah R. Snowden, Acting Chief FOIA Officer, Office of the Exec. Secretariat, U.S. Dep’t. of Hous. and Urban Dev. (Jan. 29, 2018), https://www.americanoversight.org/document/hudrecords-relating-ben-carson-jr. 1 1030 15th Street NW, Suite B255, Washington, DC 20005 AmericanOversight.org Inspector General Helen M. Albert February 21, 2018 Page 2 public reports. Moreover, American Oversight received documents that appear to show at least three separate instances where Ben Jr. was likely to have been on HUD premises.5 Your office is already charged with the sensitive task of investigating the Secretary and his immediate family. Your task will be more difficult due to the agency’s apparent failure to document Ben Carson Jr.’s visits to HUD. We urge you to take all investigative steps to overcome this challenge, including through email and other document review, as well as interviews. American Oversight also respectfully requests that your office investigate why Secretary Carson’s family members are absent from visitor logs and whether efforts have been made to circumvent public disclosure of their HUD visits. Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions. We can be reached at (202) 869-5246. Sincerely, Austin Evers Executive Director American Oversight Attachments: 1. Exhibit A – American Oversight blogpost, “Inside the Documents: Ben Carson Jr.’s HUD Emails.” CC: Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency 1717 H Street NW, Suite 825 Washington, DC 20006 5 The Honorable Michael Crapo Chair, Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs U.S. Senate 534 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Sherrod Brown Ranking Member, Committee on Banking, Housing, & Urban Affairs U.S. Senate 534 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Jeb Hensarling Chair, Financial Services Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2129 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Honorable Maxine Waters Vice Chair, Financial Services Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2129 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 Inside the Documents: Ben Carson Jr.’s HUD Emails, AMERICAN OVERSIGHT (Feb. 16, 2018), https://www.americanoversight.org/deeper-dive-inside-aos-ben-carson-jr-documents. 1030 15th Street NW, Suite B255, Washington, DC 20005 AmericanOversight.org Inspector General Helen M. Albert February 21, 2018 Page 3 Honorable Ron Johnson Chair, Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs U.S. Senate 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 Honorable Claire McCaskill Ranking Member, Committee on Homeland Security & Government Affairs U.S. Senate 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510 The Honorable Trey Gowdy Chair, Oversight and Government Reform Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2157 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 The Honorable Elijah Cummings Ranking Member, Oversight and Government Reform Committee U.S. House of Representatives 2157 Rayburn HOB Washington, DC 20515 1030 15th Street NW, Suite B255, Washington, DC 20005 AmericanOversight.org