Fighting back against media attacks on his credibility, GOP presidential front-runner Ben Carson
took to Facebook to rebut two news organizations who have questioned whether he really attempted to stab a classmate in junior high and whether he took a particular course at Yale.
On Monday, Carson posted a photo of part of a Parade magazine story from 1997 in which his mother corroborated the story about him attempting to stab a classmate at age 14, only to be stopped by the boy's metal belt buckle.
"Oh, that really happened," his mother, Sonya, is quoted. "I sat him down and told that him you don't accomplish much by being a bully. You accomplish more with kindness than you ever do by being harsh."
Carson says he prayed to God to take away the flashes of anger he had experienced throughout this boyhood and that God answered his prayer.
CNN ran a series of segments late last week noting that none of Carson's high school classmates it contacted could verify the story on the attempted stabbing. Carson countered that none of his high school classmates would have known about the incident since he had changed by that time.
Carson also used Facebook to counter a
story by The Wall Street Journal questioning his claim to have taken a course certain psychology course at Yale.
In his biography "Gifted Hands," Carson tells the story of taking a course he remembers as "Perceptions 301." The professor, he said, told students their final exams had accidentally been burned and they would have to retake the exam.
Carson was the only student who showed up for the new test, but the statement had been a hoax to show which students were honest and admitted they had seen the notice. Only Carson showed up and was photographed by the school paper as the class' "most honest student."
The Journal said that the photo can't be found in archives of the paper and that no such course could be found.
Carson did not provide evidence of the photo, but did find that the course is still being taught:
Allow me also to do the research for the Wall Street Journal reporter. Here is a syllabus for the class you claim never existed. Still waiting on the apology.
Posted by Dr. Ben Carson on Sunday, November 8, 2015
Among other questions about Carson's background, his claims to have been offered a full scholarship to West Point have been written about by Politico, which said the prestigious military academy doesn't give scholarships, but pays all expenses.
Carson said he never claimed to have been awarded a scholarship and pointed out that West Point's website calls the free schooling a scholarship.
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