"The View" co-host Meghan McCain Meghan Marguerite McCainKasich to Meghan McCain: Concern over abortion 'dwarfed' by need to beat Trump Meghan McCain says she believes report Trump called fallen soldiers 'losers' Meghan McCain hits Ivanka Trump's defense of president's Twitter: It's not a 'communication style,' it's 'cruelty' MORE said Wednesday that Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson Benjamin (Ben) Solomon CarsonState AGs condemn HUD rule allowing shelters to serve people on basis of biological sex Biden cannot keep letting Trump set the agenda The Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump heads to New Hampshire after renomination speech MORE should be pioneering new methods to combat brain cancer instead of working in his Trump administration position.

The comments from McCain — whose father, former Sen. John McCain John Sidney McCainThe Memo: Trump's strengths complicate election picture Mark Kelly: Arizona Senate race winner should be sworn in 'promptly' Cindy McCain: Trump allegedly calling war dead 'losers' was 'pretty much' last straw before Biden endorsement MORE (R-Ariz.) died of brain cancer last year — come as Carson, a former surgeon, faces scrutiny for his management of the department.

CARSON UNABLE TO ANSWER HUD QUESTIONS? Housing Secretary Ben Carson’s exchange with Rep. Katie Porter in which he appeared to mix up the common foreclosure term “REO” with Oreo cookies made headlines Tuesday — the co-hosts weigh in. https://t.co/S6XSsdT025 pic.twitter.com/qkABlMW3Kv — The View (@TheView) May 22, 2019

"He’s a pioneer in every way," McCain said on ABC's "The View." "And one of the things that he had been working on, is he was developing new methods to treat brain cell tumors and was revitalizing techniques to control seizures.

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"What’s really difficult for me, is my dad had glioblastoma stage four, which is an extremely deadly form of brain cancer," she continued, before noting that Carson could be helping families like hers with the "gift" he has.

"For me when you have this gift, where you could be helping families like mine, to maybe sustain life, to help brain tumors, I don’t understand when you have a gift like that why you’re doing this," she said. "And that’s just a personal reaction I had to this, because I think he is a genius doctor, and I would prefer his talents be gone to helping brain tumors."

Carson is a former surgeon who had been noted for his work on brain tumors before being confirmed as HUD secretary in 2017. He had no prior government experience before taking on the position.

The housing chief was grilled by Democrats during a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Tuesday about some of the agency's policies, including HUD's announcement in April that it would tighten regulations barring immigrants in the country illegally from receiving federal housing benefits.

Carson quickly made headlines after he was questioned by Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) about real estate owned (REO) foreclosures.

Carson appeared to confuse the term REO, with Oreos, the popular sandwich cookie filled with vanilla cream.

I asked @SecretaryCarson about REOs - a basic term related to foreclosure - at a hearing today. He thought I was referring to a chocolate sandwich cookie. No, really. pic.twitter.com/cYekJAkRag — Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) May 21, 2019

"No not an Oreo," Porter replied.

Carson told NewsMax TV in March that he would "likely" leave his position at the conclusion of Trump's first term.