- Mon Sep 05, 2016 9:39 am
#76613
Donald Trump’s most vocal African-American surrogate, South Carolina pastor Mark Burns, has admitted that he exaggerated his college and military-service records — but accused the media of attacking him because he’s “a black man” supporting the mogul for president.
The Web site for Burns’ Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, SC, had said he holds a bachelor’s degree and served in the Army Reserve.
But Burns was instead a member of his state’s National Guard and never completed college, attending only one semester at North Greenville University, CNN reported Saturday.
Burns owned up to padding his résumé.
“As a young man starting my church in Greenville, South Carolina, I overstated several details of my biography because I was worried I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a new pastor,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
“This was wrong. I wasn’t truthful then and I have to take full responsibility for my actions.”
But he blamed media bias for CNN’s report.
“It’s a shame that the political insiders and the media choose to attack me because I’m not going to stay silent about Hillary Clinton’s pandering to our community,” he wrote.
Burns spoke at the Republican National Convention and frequently appears with Trump at campaign events.
Burns stormed out of a CNN interview Wednesday when confronted about his bio — after first claiming his site had been hacked.
The Web site for Burns’ Harvest Praise and Worship Center in Easley, SC, had said he holds a bachelor’s degree and served in the Army Reserve.
But Burns was instead a member of his state’s National Guard and never completed college, attending only one semester at North Greenville University, CNN reported Saturday.
Burns owned up to padding his résumé.
“As a young man starting my church in Greenville, South Carolina, I overstated several details of my biography because I was worried I wouldn’t be taken seriously as a new pastor,” he said in a statement posted to Twitter.
“This was wrong. I wasn’t truthful then and I have to take full responsibility for my actions.”
But he blamed media bias for CNN’s report.
“It’s a shame that the political insiders and the media choose to attack me because I’m not going to stay silent about Hillary Clinton’s pandering to our community,” he wrote.
Burns spoke at the Republican National Convention and frequently appears with Trump at campaign events.
Burns stormed out of a CNN interview Wednesday when confronted about his bio — after first claiming his site had been hacked.