White House spokesman Josh Earnest couldn’t help but crack a smile when asked during a Friday press briefing about Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson’s claim that the Chinese military is involved in Syria.
“Maybe it violates my job description as a spokesperson to be speechless but I think in this case, I am,” Earnest told the assembled reporters, who laughed.
Carson first offered his theory about a Chinese presence in Syria during the Fox Business presidential debate on Tuesday, and has spent the week defending it. Prominent national security officials, including National Security Adviser Susan Rice and former CIA Director Gen. Michael Hayden, have said there is no evidence to substantiate his claims.
Addressing a press scrum outside of a town hall event on Friday, the GOP candidate told reporters that he simply has better sources than the White House does, and that he planned to release “some material” to support his claims by the end of the weekend.
“I’m surprised my sources are better than theirs,” he said.
Watch Earnest’s reaction below.
