--- title: Ben Carson Addresses Critics At GOP Debate description: "I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about." canonical: https://time.com/4107641/carson-debate-media/ copyright: © 2026 TIME USA, LLC. All Rights Reserved. terms: https://legal.time.com/terms-of-service/ license_contact: syndication@time.com author: Daniel White article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-11-11T03:04:46.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:39:52.665Z article:section: Politics og:title: Carson Addressed the Media at the GOP Debate og:description: "I have no problem with being vetted. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=1d73bea2-24c9-48fb-8f2c-b67d245bb395&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 2016 FOX GOP DEBATE: Ben Carson Takes on Media [Watch (HLS stream): 2016 FOX GOP DEBATE: Ben Carson Takes on Media](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/fsbubPoE.m3u8) (1:42)  _Published 2015-11-11. Carson on His Life Story_ by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Nov 11, 2015 3:04 AM UTC Carson on His Life Story by [Daniel White](https://time.com/author/daniel-white/) ## Daniel White Nov 11, 2015 3:04 AM UTC Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson accused the media of spinning untruths as it scrutinizes his private life at Tuesday’s Republican debate. “I have no problem with being vetted,” said Carson. “What I do have a problem with is being lied about.” The former neurosurgeon came under the microscope in recent days as he began to lead polls in a large GOP field. Media outlets have questioned some of the claims in his autobiography _Gifted Hands_, such as whether or not he had been offered a scholarship to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point. When asked to asked by moderators to address the back and forth, Carson quipped: “Thank you for not asking me what I said in the 10th grade. I appreciate that.” **Read More:** [_Ben Carson Faces New Scrutiny as Front Runner_](http://time.com/4103205/ben-carson-biography-questions/) ## Transcript Well, first of all, thank you for not asking me what I said in the tenth grade. I appreciate that. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] [ APPLAUSE ] But- I'll just forget that follow up, then. [ LAUGH ] [ LAUGH ] The fact of the matter is We should vet all candidates. I have no problem with being vetted. What I do have a problem with is being lied about, and then putting that out there [ APPLAUSE ] as truth, and I don't even mind that so much if they do it with everybody like people on the other side. When I look at someone like Hilary Clinton, who sits there and tells her daughter and a government official that now this was a terrorist attack, and then tells everybody else that it was a video. Where I came from, they call that a lie, and [ APPLAUSE ]. I think that's very different from, you know, somebody misinterpreting when I said That I was offered a scholarship to West Point. That's the words that they used. But, I've had many people come and say the same thing to me. That's what people do in those situations. We have to start treating people the same and finding out what people really think and what they're made of. And people who know me, Know that I'm an honest person. [ APPLAUSE ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4107641/carson-debate-media/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4107641/carson-debate-media/"},"headline":"Watch Ben Carson Take On the Media at the GOP Debate","datePublished":"2015-11-11T03:04:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-10-05T08:39:52.665Z","description":"\"I have no problem with being vetted. 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