More: 7 Ridiculous Things Ben Carson Believes

Retired brain surgeon and conservative commentator Ben Carson is expected to announce today in his hometown of Detroit, MI that he will be be running for the Republication nomination for president. Even though Carson has never held public office, his short time in the spotlight has given him plenty of opportunity to make controversial and often factually incorrect statements.

“It’s so important that we get the best candidate,” Carson said on Fox News earlier this year. “Not the one with the highest name recognition but the one who can articulate the values of this nation, who can really represent the people, who understands the constitution and is willing to face challenges.”

Here are some of the ideas Carson has pushed during his political career:

Anarchy could cancel the 2016 election

Carson warned in an interview in 2014 that if we “continue down this pathway that we are going down,” referring to “this pathway where everything is framed in a political sense and our representatives are not working for the people, they’re working for their party,” then the anarchy could lead to the 2016 election being called off. He claimed that the growing national debt, ISIS and the then-Democrat controlled U.S. senate’s refusal to consider legislation passed by the Republican House of Representatives all pointed toward the idea that the country is headed toward anarchy.

If Carson’s prediction proved to be true, he said, Obama could declare martial law and the 2016 election would not occur.

Congress should be able to remove judges for voting for marriage equality

In an interview with a conservative radio host earlier this year, Carson said it was “unconstitutional” that judges have ruled in favor of equality despite statewide ballot initiatives that resulted in different outcomes. Carson said that when federal judges make rulings like this, “our Congress actually has the right to reprimand or remove them.”
Needless to say, Carson’s assertion is incorrect. Congress cannot simply remove a judge for ruling in a way the majority disagrees with. Judges may only be removed for impeachable offenses, which the constitution defines as “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors.”

Being gay is a choice because prison turns people gay

Carson now infamously said in a CNN interview in March that homosexuality is a choice, citing people who “go into prison straight - and when they come out, they’re gay” as proof. He later attempted to apologize for the remarks in which he addressed those who were offended, but reinforced his belief that sexual orientation is chosen.

Carson has also called marriage equality a “Marxist plot,” described marriage equality supporters as “enemies of America,” and compared homosexuality to pedophilia and bestiality, another statement that led him to similarly “apologize” for his “poorly chosen words.”

More Ridiculous Things At Think Progress.