Duane R. Clarridge, a top Ben Carson adviser on terrorism and national security said, “Nobody has been able to sit down with him and have him get one iota of intelligent information about the Middle East.”
In an interview with The New York Times, Clarridge explained how Carson needed weekly conference calls on foreign policy so “we can make him smart.”
The retired neurosurgeon has had difficulty in the past with some foreign policy basics, thinking China is involved militarily in Syria, confusing not knowing members of NATO, and failing to name the countries he would work with in an anti-ISIS coalition. (RELATED: ‘Do You Read This Stuff?’: Hugh Hewitt Questions Ben Carson’s Foreign Policy Chops [AUDIO])
When pressed on who is source was who told him China was involved militarily in Syria, Carson’s advisers reportedly said it was a freelance American intelligence operative based in Iraq. Both the White House and China have denied that China is involved militarily in Syria. (RELATED: Obama On Carson’s ISIS Strategy: ‘He Doesn’t Know Much About It’ [VIDEO])
During the Iran-Contra Affair, Carridge was indicted on the charges of lying to Congress, but was later pardoned.
Regarding the “Fox News Sunday” interview where Carson failed to say who he would call to form a coalition against ISIS, Armstrong Williams, a top Carson adviser said, “He’s been briefed on it so many times, I guess he just froze.” (RELATED: Trump Says Carson ‘Can’t Do The Job’ Of President Because He’s ‘Not Meant For It’ [VIDEO])
Former CIA Director Michael Hayden, who has spoken to Carson regarding foreign policy said, “I had one lengthy phone call with Ben Carson two months ago and his instincts are all right, but this is a database in which he’s very unfamiliar.”
UPDATE: The Carson campaign has responded with the following statement which was provided to The Daily Caller:
“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. 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 advisors. 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.”