Ben Carson tries to explain his Oreo gaffe: 'You don't really even think about' what acronyms stand for

Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson is desperately trying to explain that stunning "Oreo" gaffe.

Carson while testifying before Congress on Tuesday was asked by Rep. Katie Porter (D-Calif.) about REOs, a real-estate term, but responded, "An Oreo?" Porter proceeded to explain to Carson what an REO is as he appeared to not know what the last letter stood for.

Carson in two interviews on Wednesday discussed this viral moment, first on Fox Business, where he claimed he "was having difficulty hearing" Porter. "Of course, I'm very familiar with foreclosed properties and with REOs, have read extensively about them," he said.

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In fact, Carson suggested he knows much more about the topic than the Democratic lawmaker because "I suspect when Katie Porter was an expert in this area, things were very different," saying he invited her to speak with his staff so "she would then be able to understand what's going on."

That doesn't explain why Carson struggled to recall what the 'O' in 'REO' stands for, though. To address that point, Carson said in another interview with The Hill, "We throw around acronyms all the time, particularly in government. And you don't really even think about, 'what do the letters mean?' But you know what the thing is. Of course you know what an REO is."

Carson after the gaffe on Tuesday tried to make light of the mistake by posting a photo of himself with a box of Oreos and sending some to Porter's office. She didn't find that very funny, though, telling MSNBC that Carson should not be in his position and that "we're all losing by not having competent, strong, effective, intelligent leadership at HUD." Brendan Morrow