Washington (CNN) When news broke that a $31,000 dining room set had been ordered for the office of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson, the secretary's office immediately went into crisis mode.

Carson, you see, had nothing to do with such an exorbitant expenditure -- which, not for nothing, HUD canceled as soon as it came to light.

"Mrs. Carson and the secretary had no awareness that the table was being purchased," said HUD spokesman Raffi Williams at the time. Added a HUD official: "The secretary did not order a new table. The table was ordered by the career staffers in charge of the building."

Carson, in a statement of his own released soon after the new of the dining room set came to light, said he was "surprised" at how much everything cost.

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