Ben Carson confuses home foreclosures for cookies as a Democratic congresswoman exposes his embarrassing ignorance

After President Donald Trump was elected, Ben Carson's spokesperson said publicly that he would not join the new administration, citing the fact that he "feels he has no government experience, he's never run a federal agency." Eventually,  Carson took the position of Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, but more than two years into that position, it seems he is little more qualified for the role than he was on day one.

And in a revealing congressional hearing on Tuesday, Rep. Katie Porter (D-CA) exposed his blatant ignorance of his own department's workings. She said she wanted him to "explain the disparity in REO rates — do you know what an REO is?"

"An Oreo?" he said in response.

"R — no, not an Oreo," she said. "An REO."

"Real estate ... ?" he began.

"What's the 'O' stand for?" she asked.

"Organization?" he speculated.

"'Owned,'" corrected Porter. "'Real estate owned.' That's what happens when a property goes to foreclosure. We call it an 'REO.'"

"Mm-hm," said Carson.

Of course, it's not a term most people will be familiar with. But one might hope that the head of the HUD would know what he's talking about — so he could both answer Congress's questions and effectively run his department.

"I’ll say in some sympathy with Carson that I’ve always thought REO is a clunky acronym (Real Estate Owned by a creditor, typically following foreclosure or some cash-for-keys deal). Still, you can’t look at the numbers for any housing portfolio without coming across the term," said attorney Luppe Luppen of the blunder. "The fact Carson doesn’t know what REO means is a pretty good indicator that he’s never sat down and figured out what his agency is actually doing in the world. After more than two years running it."

Watch the clip below: