March 1 (UPI) — House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, R-S.C., announced Wednesday an investigation into allegations of excessive spending to decorate the office of Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson.
The announcement comes after former longtime HUD official Helen Foster said she was fired for refusing to go over the $5,000 legal limit for office redecorating.
“The Committee is aware of a complaint filed with the Office of Special Counsel by Department of Housing and Urban Development employee Helen Foster alleging retaliation when Foster refused to abet exceeding a spending cap on redecorating your office,” Gowdy said in a letter to Carson.
Gowdy’s letter requests that Carson submit “all documents and communications referring or relating to redecorating, furnishing, or equipping your office since January 1, 2017.”
In a letter of complaint about her demotion, Foster said she was told “$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair” when she told her bosses about the legal funding limit, the Guardian reported.
The New York Times reported on Wednesday that Carson’s office ended up sending more than $31,000 for a dining room set in the HUD office.
