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Getty Carson camp: New York Times took advantage of 'elderly gentleman'

Ben Carson's campaign is claiming The New York Times took "advantage of an elderly gentleman" in its bombshell report that some Carson advisers did not think the Republican presidential candidate has a good grasp on foreign policy.

The Times based its report partly off of an interview with Duane R. Clarridge, a former CIA agent described as "a top adviser to Mr. Carson on terrorism and national security." Armstrong Williams, Carson's business manager is quoted as describing Clarridge as Carson's "mentor" in the piece.

But the Carson campaign said in a statement to Business Insider that Clarridge is not the top adviser the Times made him out to be.

"Mr. Clarridge has incomplete knowledge of the daily, not weekly briefings, that Dr. Carson receives on important national security matters from former military and State Department officials," Carson spokesperson Doug Watts told the site. "He is coming to the end of a long career of serving our country. Mr. Clarridge's input to Dr. Carson is appreciated but he is clearly not one of Dr. Carson's top advisers. For The New York Times to take advantage of an elderly gentleman and use him as their foil in this story is an affront to good journalistic practices."

New York Times senior editor for politics Carolyn Ryan, said in a statement that it was Williams who told their reporter to call Clarridge.

"It was Ben Carson's closest adviser, Armstrong Williams, who recommended that we talk to Mr. Clarridge and described Mr. Clarridge as a 'mentor' to Mr. Carson on foreign policy. Mr. Williams also gave us Mr. Clarridge's phone number. Mr. Clarridge picked up the phone and our reporter, Trip Gabriel, conducted a very straightforward interview with him," Ryan said. "Mr. Clarridge was the only adviser whose name was given to us by Armstrong Williams."



This post has been updated to include The New York Times' response.