The New York Daily News, which first reported the appointment, ran a front-page
story with a photo of Ms. Patton alongside the headline “The Wedding Scammer.”
Armstrong Williams, a close friend of Mr. Carson’s, did not confirm the appointment but did say
that Ms. Patton had earned the trust of Mr. Carson after organizing his listening tour in several cities.
Mr. Williams also said Ms. Patton “is a very honest person.”
“She never told Dr. Carson that she went to Yale,” Mr. Williams said, contradicting the Daily
News story, which said she had padded her résumé with a Yale law degree she never earned.
Mr. de Blasio said that he would have to find a way to work with Ms. Patton on behalf of the roughly 600,000 New Yorkers
who live in New York City Housing Authority buildings, as well as those who receive federal housing assistance.
“If Donald Trump is intent on showing the contempt he has for the social safety net, then the appointment makes sense.”
Mr. Torres, who grew up in public housing, said Ms. Leicht had been a “strong advocate for affordable housing in New York City,”
and acted as a liaison between local officials and the federal housing department.
