GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson had a "moment of truth" on Sunday when he said on
"Meet the Press" that a Muslim should not be elected president, Carson adviser Armstrong Williams told
Newsmax TV.
Williams praised Carson for not hesitating when asked by moderator Chuck Todd whether he saw a conflict between Islam and the Constitution.
Carson didn't hesitate, Williams told "Newsmax Prime" host J.D. Hayworth. "He said, 'It's not something I would advocate.' It was a moment of truth."
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People get "uncomfortable" when someone states what they believe firmly, Williams said.
"People don't like an inconvenient truth," Williams said. He described Carson as being "at peace" after creating a firestorm with his comments. "He's playing pool. He was in the kitchen trying to prepare a meal so we could eat. He was laughing. He was just at a good place."
Everyone from fellow GOP presidential candidate Lindsey Graham to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) have said Carson's words make him unfit to hold the presidency himself.
But Carson stuck by his statement, telling The Hill, "I do not believe Sharia is consistent with the Constitution of this country."
Williams also appeared on "Newsmax Now" on Monday, telling host John Bachman that Carson never said a Muslim cannot serve as president, but only that he would not support or vote for a Muslim in the office.
Article VI of the Constitution prohibits a religious test for office holders in the United States.
But Williams noted that Article VI, like all articles of the Constitution, refers to the government, not to individuals.
"Dr. Carson was only expressing his right in terms of what he would vote for and not vote for in terms of whom should be at the helm of running this country," Williams said. "He doesn't feel given the timing and where we are and what's going on in this world that he would advocate a Muslim being president of the United States."
Williams said there is always a price to pay for speaking out about what you believe.
Carson may be taking heat, but he speaks for a majority of Americans, Williams said.
Williams said he had never thought about the issue of a Muslim president before Carson gave his opinion on Sunday, but was happy with what he said.
"I said, wow, he speaks for me," Williams said.
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