SEE UPDATES BELOW (Please come back for updates, as this article is being regularly updated)
Evidently, a damaging rumor that Dr. Ben Carson was suspending his campaign started during a Monday broadcast on CNN at around 7:43 pm est, while the Iowa caucus was in full swing. The rumor led to Cruz campaign staffers informing their precinct captains that they should urge caucus-goers to vote for Ted Cruz.
The Cruz camp, along with many other media sources had the same impression.
Consider this article at Business Insider, which still has the original link:
The article, written by Pamela Engel, explains in an updated version:
Ben Carsons campaign on Monday night released a statement denying that the retired neurosurgeon was suspending his bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
According to Carsons communication director, Larry Ross, the statement cited false media reports, not overly ambitious Cruz campaign workers:
Contrary to false media reports, Dr. Ben Carson is not suspending his presidential campaign, which is stronger than ever. After spending 18 consecutive days on the campaign trail, Dr. Carson needs to go home and get a fresh set of clothes. He will be departing Des Moines later tonight to avoid the snow storm and will be back on the trail Wednesday
Some media sources and others clearly had the impression that Carson was suspending his campaign:
Which led to:
Ben Carson going home to Florida after tonight, @CNN reporting. #iowacaucus
Ted Cruz said in a statement that when our political team saw the CNN post saying that Dr. Carson was not carrying on to New Hampshire and South Carolina, his campaign updated grassroots leaders just as we would with any breaking news story. He conceded, however, that what the Cruz team then should have done was send around the follow-up statement from the Carson campaign clarifying that he was indeed staying in the race when that came out.
Basically, the Cruz team should have known better than to trust the media.
The link in the above quote returns the reader to the same article in which they were reading, which is either an error or a deliberate deception.
Astoundingly but not surprisingly, CNN and many others have poured fuel on the fire by instigating Dr. Carson into placing blame on Cruz. In a segment with Jake Tapper titled Carson demands Cruz fire staffers involved in dirty trick,' a caption that seems to have been penned by a fourth grader laments:
Dr. Ben Carson demands Sen. Ted Cruzs campaign take responsibility and fire tstaffers [sic] who told Iowa voters Carson was dropping out of the race.
It appears that it was actually CNN that told Iowa voters Carson was dropping out of the race.
UPDATE: Several readers/tweeters have pointed out this excellent article at Politistick, which makes the case that the Rubio campaign was not only aware of the rumor, but pushing the narrative hard. If this is true, Marco Rubios outrage aimed at Cruz is wholly disingenuous.
UPDATE II: An adult in the room (thanks to @aubrynathome):
UPDATE III: Steve Berman at The Resurgent digs a bit deeper and makes an observation:
Had Cruz dodged the issue, become defensive, or attempted a cover-up, Id be upset with him. But he didnt do any of that. It was a straightforward apology for mishandling a communication issue. Theres no evidence that the Cruz campaign planted the story about Carsons break.
Update IV: SooperMexican points out at therightscoop that Bill OReilly asked [Ben Carson] some really good questions about the rumor, which seems to have started with CNN. Carson didnt really answer the question.
Watch:
UPDATE V: Shocker, Donald Trump is unhinged. He would make a great president, right?
UPDATE VI: In case you were not clear on Sarah Palins true colors:
Dirty Politics: Witnessing Firsthand It's Always Heartbreaking, Never Surprising
From Buzzfeed on Monday night in an article titled Ben Carson Isnt Quitting His Campaign Hes Just Going To Florida To Do Laundry, references to conflicting reports about the status of Carsons campaign from interview with Carsons business manager and adviser Armstrong Williams (who is one of the tweets from above) and a reference to supporters of rival candidates Ted Cruz and Rand Paul:
There have been conflicting reports over past hours about why Carson whose stock has plummeted in recent months as a candidate, and whose campaign has burned through millions of dollars as top officials have quit was leaving Iowa.
Some reported that Carson was going home to rest and would not travel to New Hampshire and South Carolina, while others suggested he was going home to beat a storm and would maintain his campaign schedule.
[ ]
Williams told BuzzFeed News that Carsons schedule will not change, and claimed that the trip home was always planned. He emphasized that Carson was absolutely not dropping out of the presidential race. Are you kidding me? he said to the question.
Williams further argued that reports and rumors that Carson had changed his schedule or was behaving unusually were being fueled by supporters of rival candidates Ted Cruz and Rand Paul.
UPDATE VII:
Conservative Review points out that Rush Limbaugh said that the rumors of Ben Carson dropping out on Monday were actively encouraged by the Rubio campaign.
Listen:
UPDATE VIII:
At caucus sites, candidate speeches are alpha order. Carson comes before Cruz. Why didn't Carson people debunk CNN report beforehand then?
Renee Nal is a political junkie and driven prolific writer. A relentless truth-seeker, her main objectives are to exposeRenee media and academic bias. Renee is a former Glenn Beck intern and a founding member of TavernKeepers.com; a political news website which is focused on reporting stories that are not covered in the mainstream media.
Even so, the lists of the key tweets and news story releases constructs a timeline that is useful in understanding how the story started (a Cruz staffer saying something stupid to a CNN reporter which got inflated more by CNN's anchor), how it grew, how Carson blamed CNN and then switched to trying to blame Cruz. Also, how Rubio's captains were doing the same thing as Cruz's captains but no one is blaming Rubio; he's skating away scot-free.
how Carson blamed CNN and then switched to trying to blame Cruz. Also, how Rubio's captains were doing the same thing as Cruz's captains but no one is blaming Rubio; he's skating away scot-free.
Politics is a dirty, dirty business, with running for office one of the dirtiest part of all. Carson is an amateur trying to play in the Pro Bowl. He is just not ready for prime time. Perhaps next time around?
And fired no one. After all, they were just following instructions.
Cruz was out campaigning all day, like all the other candidates.
If Carson wants campaign staff held accountable, why hasn't he fired his own low-level staffer that gave that story to the CNN reporter?
It's Carson's own fault that the media even had this story.
It's an amateur error. Leaving the campaign trail between IA and NH or NH and SC (other than a quick trip to NV) is the sign of failing campaigns and always has been. These are three quick primaries and a candidate has to be ready to campaign non-stop. If he doesn't, the press will take notice and speculate that they aren't acting like a campaign that thinks it can win.
Carson was also an idiot to attend the prayer breakfast, even if that is his claim to fame. It was a fond farewell for Obama this year and he gave a very crafty speech. It was not an opportunity for Carson. Lightning was not going to strike twice there.
And that "going home for a change of clothes" is nonsense. Carson is worth $27 million and there are plenty of men's clothing stores in NH, plenty of dry cleaners offering same-day service, etc. That's about as lame as it gets.
Carson made himself look weak and uncommitted. Not Cruz. And the blame lies with Carson's own staffer. This is a pattern with Carson, with many very unhelpful interviews being given by his buddy Armstrong Williams that lead to awkward stories and questions (enough that Carson's top staff resigned en masse over Williams' involvement a few months back).
Carson's judgment in his campaign staff and allowing some parasite like Williams use his campaign to get his own 15 minutes of fame (again) makes Carson look weak. And Cruz has nothing to do with any of that.
The real source of Carson's pique at Cruz was that on Sunday, Carson's top fundraiser ($4M) defected to Cruz. And on Monday, his entire super-PAC in NH defected to Cruz. As this unfolded, Carson started crying foul over these rumors which were entirely the fault of his own staffer gabbing carelessly with a CNN reporter.
Carson is an amateur. And, as with Trump, it shows pretty often.
So Cruz and his staff had no obligation to confirm this major story before spreading it around?
None at all. It was reported on CNN. Business Insider had a page that used the term "suspends campaign". Some other outlets had similar coverage from the story that came directly from Carson's blabbermouth staffer. How is that Cruz's fault?
And what about Carson's supporters, who he apparently thinks are morons? Are we to believe they've signed up with him over the last year as diehard supporters and just one announcement from another candidate's precinct captain made them throw their hands up and go home or decide to support that candidate (Cruz)? What, they have no cellphones or smartphones so they could just check the rumor themselves? It's not some backwoods like Appalachia. Iowa has excellent cellphone service with top-notch rural data coverage.
It's Carson's own damned fault if any of his supporters defected after Carson's own staffer got too chatty with a CNN reporter. And Carson hasn't found even one former supporter who says they believed the rumor about his dropping out and changed their vote or just went home. Not. Even. One.