Ben Carson breaks with Trump on refusal to accept outcome of the election

Donald Trump set the political world on fire Wednesday night when at the final presidential debate he refused to, as debate moderator Chris Wallace asked, "accept the results" of the presidential election, saying he would "look at it at the time."

Mark Cuban said Trump's comments "question(ed) American democracy," his opponent Hillary Clinton responded by calling his remarks "horrifying." Steve Schmidt, former senior strategist for George W. Bush and John McCain, called his words "disqualifying." But Trump surrogate and former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson both defended and distanced himself for the billionaire businessman's controversial statement following the debate in Las Vegas.

"Of course I would," said the former neurosurgeon when asked if he would accept the results of the election. Carson also added that "right now" he didn't see any reason not to accept the outcome on November 8.

Carson did, however, defend Trump's position as simply wanting to "evaluate" the results, arguing that it's "not the same as saying that he wouldn't recognize.

He said he would evaluate. That's what he said."

When asked by FOX News about Trump's refusal, Carson pivoted toward the topic of combating voter fraud saying, "What we should be talking about is that we're a country that can send men to the moon, that can invent all kinds of sophisticated electronic equipment, do complex medical operations, but we can't monitor voting?"

"The real question is why we don't want to?" Carson added.

He also maintained that while he personally plans to accept the results of the election it is "appropriate" for Trump "to bring these things up."

BY: WILLIAM STEAKIN