Trump’s Housing Chief Ben Carson Confuses Basic Foreclosure Term With Oreo Cookies

President Trump’s Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson became confused about a basic real-estate term related to foreclosures during his testimony in front of a congressional panel.

During a Tuesday hearing hosted by the House Financial Services Committee, California Rep. Katie Porter (D) asked Carson if he was familiar with REOs, the abbreviation for “real estate owned.”

“An Oreo?” Carson responded.

“No. Not an Oreo. An R-E-O. An R-E-O,” Porter interjected.

When Carson replied, “Real estate?” Porter asked if he knew what the “O” stood for.

Carson replied “organization.”

“Owned, real estate owned. That’s what happens when a property goes to foreclosure,” Porter said. “We call it an REO.”

Watch the exchange below:

I asked @SecretaryCarson about REOs – a basic term related to foreclosure – at a hearing today. He thought I was referring to a chocolate sandwich cookie. No, really. pic.twitter.com/cYekJAkRag

— Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) May 21, 2019

Carson has run the Department of Housing and Urban Development since 2017.