Ben Carson criticized the Republican delegate rules Friday, likening them to Jim Crow and then asking why the Electoral College still exists.
Appearing on MSNBC, the former presidential candidate argued that just because a law or rules are in place doesn’t mean they are right, pointing to Jim Crow laws during the era of racial segregation. Carson then went on to question the Electoral College.
“During the Jim Crow era, those were the rules too,” Carson told host Andrea Mitchell. “They were written, everybody knew about them — didn’t make them right. And I’m not saying this is the same. But, you know, I think you get the point. Just because rules are there, just because they’re written by somebody, doesn’t mean that they’re right. It doesn’t mean you can’t re-review the system.”
“There are a lot of things we need to look at from a historical perspective,” Carson said before questioning the general election system. “Why do we need the Electoral College anymore? Stop and ask yourself, why was that put in place and do those same circumstances apply? Actually, they do not. We need to start looking at a lot of different things.”
Carson’s comments are another in a string of notable statements he has made since endorsing Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump. Last week, the former neurosurgeon told a radio host that he would also be part of the #NeverTrump movement if his options were different.
