Is Ben Carson the Next HUD Secretary or Not?

There appears to be more than a little confusion over whether Dr. Ben Carson, the neurosurgeon and former Republican presidential hopeful, is going to join the incoming Trump Administration as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

Following the election, Dr. Carson initially stated that he had no plans to be part of the new administration. On Nov. 22, he met with Donald Trump in New York, and later that day, the president-elect tweeted: “I’m seriously considering Dr. Ben Carson as the head of HUD.” Although The Wall Street Journal reported that Armstrong Williams, a spokesman for Dr. Carson, affirmed that he accepted the job, there was no official announcement from the Trump transition team. Instead, Dr. Carson announced on Facebook that he would make an announcement after the Thanksgiving holiday weekend—which he has yet to offer.

Yesterday, The Washington Post quoted an e-mailed message from Williams that said Dr. Carson “continues to ponder his decision,” although no timeline was cited on when the decision would be finalized. And while Trump has announced several new cabinet choices, most notably financier Steven Mnuchin as the next Treasury Secretary, the HUD position remains vacant.

In the interim, the Trump transition team added Shawn Krause, an executive vice president of government advocacy for Detroit-based Quicken Loans Inc., to oversee the new administration’s takeover of the HUD reins.