Elizabeth Warren Tries to Explain Why She Voted to Confirm Ben Carson

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Elizabeth Warren has drawn heavy criticism this week following her vote to confirm Dr. Ben Carson, a man with zero government experience, as secretary of the Department of Housing and Urban Development, just three days after she vowed to fight back against President Donald Trump at the Boston Women’s March.

In a lengthy Facebook post Wednesday, the Democratic senator tried explaining her decision to confirm Carson, which left many on the left feeling betrayed.

“Yes, I have serious, deep, profound concerns about Dr. Carson’s inexperience to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development. Yes, I adamantly disagree with many of the outrageous things that Dr. Carson said during his presidential campaign. Yes, he is not the nominee I wanted,” Warren said. “But ‘the nominee I wanted’ is not the test.”

Warren said she sent Carson a nine-page letter with questions touching on a variety of topics, from Section 8 housing, to natural disaster preparedness, to LGBTQ discrimination. She said his answers “weren’t perfect,” but that he made “good, detailed promises” on anti-homelessness programs and fair housing law enforcement that encouraged her.

“Can we count on Dr. Carson to keep those promises? I don’t know,” Warren said. “People are right to be skeptical; I am. But a man who makes written promises gives us a toehold on accountability. If President Trump goes to his second choice, I don’t think we will get another HUD nominee who will even make these promises—much less follow through on them.”

A WBUR/MassINC poll released earlier this week found that 44 percent of Massachusetts voters believe Warren, whose term ends in 2018, deserves reelection, while 46 percent said it’s time to “give someone else a chance.”