Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson and Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., on Thursday shared a tense exchange on Twitter over Carson’s recent congressional testimony.
Carson appeared before the House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday, where he misheard some common real estate terms and appeared unprepared for the questions posed to him.
Ilhan knocked Carson in a tweet on Thursday, saying she’s “not sure he was fully awake,” during an exchange with Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
At one point during the hearing, Carson grew irritated with Pressley’s questions and refused to answer, saying “reclaiming my time,” according to CSPAN.
On Thursday, Pressley tweeted that “maybe he meant to reclaim his time back to sleep.”
The secretary responded by referring to his time as a practicing surgeon, and blasting Omar for her pro-choice views.
“Since you brought it up... I know what it's like to actually be sleepy, especially after 18-hour surgeries and operating on babies in the womb. I hope [Omar] knows I care about all people, even those she doesn't recognize as having a right to life.”
Thursday wasn’t the first time Carson has been criticized for his demeanor. In 2015, President Donald Trump called Carson, his then-rival for the Republican nomination, “super low energy,” according to Fox News.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.