Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson said he will leave the Trump administration at the end of the president’s four-year term in office.
“I will certainly finish out this term,” the retired neurosurgeon told Newsmax TV on Monday. “I would be interested in returning to the private sector because I think you have just as much influence, maybe more, there.”
Carson had no previous experience in either government or housing when Trump appointed him in late 2016 to lead HUD. His tenure has been dotted by small scandals over his spending habits and ethics concerns.
“President Donald J. Trump hired me to do a job as the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, and we are making tremendous progress ensuring our most vulnerable citizens are empowered with a path to self-sufficiency,” Carson said in a statement. “I always stand ready to serve this great president and the United States of America.”
