MIAMI – Once a rival for the Republican nomination himself, Dr. Ben Carson officially endorsed businessman Donald Trump for president Friday morning at a press conference.
The news was met with support from the Illinois Director for Dr. Ben Carson, Stephanie Holderfeld.
"I stand behind Dr. Ben Carson on his decision. Dr. Carson is a man of integrity, intelligence, and he made his decision with prayerful consideration," Holderfeld announced shortly after Carson sent out his statement.
"Dr. Carson will bring his wisdom and insights to the Trump Campaign to, 'Make America Great Again!'"
Illinois Review asked Holderfeld – who is on next Tuesday's 15th CD GOP ballot as an alternate delegate for Dr. Carson – a couple of questions via Facebook.
Didn't Mr. Trump suggest that Dr. Carson was "like a child molester"? That's forgivable, but the Iowa debacle with Cruz is not? Could you fill us in on the details?
"Politics is politics!" Holderfeld said. "Judy Baar Topinka once told me, 'There's blood on the floor in politics at the end of the day, you forgive and move on!' I was not privy to the behind the scenes details."
Then we asked if she is recommending that people not vote for her next Tuesday, but the Trump-affiliated delegates in her 15th Congressional District?
"I am an alternate delegate and if people vote for me, it will depend upon the delegates ability to attend the convention," she said. "People have a choice on who they would like to send to the RNC Convention."
Dr. Carson's released statement endorsing Trump reads:
Our country is at a crossroads and in the midst of a moral crisis. We must be careful not to continue our current path, which is littered with uncertainty at best and ruination at worst. We can make changes to our system and that change starts now with, “We the People.”
We can have disagreements, but it is critical that we not allow those disagreements to divide us as a party or as a country.
It is with that in mind that I endorse Donald Trump for President. I have known Donald for many years. He is a successful businessman who has built a recognizable global brand that no one can question. His experience as a businessman is exactly what we need to move our economic engine in the right direction and empower those who have been left out of the American dream for far too long.
With our support, I am sure that we can help restore America's values and faith.
I know there will be some who want to underscore our differences and others will wish to return to statements he has made about me in the past, but that is politics. As a man of faith, all is forgiven and we have moved beyond the past, as the future is now.
Join me in supporting and rallying around the only candidate the GOP has that can defeat Hillary Clinton in 2016 and return America to that shining city on a hill.
Illinois Review's earlier story on the Carson Delegates is available HERE.
BOOM !!!