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Tags: Kay Hagan | Senate | ISIS | midterms | fundraiser | election

Sen. Kay Hagan Admits Skipping ISIS Hearing to Attend Fundraiser

By    |   Thursday, 09 October 2014 10:46 AM EDT

U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan has landed in trouble in the perilously close race against her Republican challenger, North Carolina state Rep. Thom Tillis, over a revelation that she skipped a crucial classified Senate briefing on the Islamic State (ISIS) to attend a fundraiser.

Hagan, who sits on the Armed Services Committee and also chairs the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, made things worse when her staff repeatedly ducked questions about the missed meeting.

The North Carolina Democrat finally admitted to the Washington Free Beacon that she had, in fact, skipped out to attend a New York City cocktail fundraiser with tickets going for up to $5,200 apiece.

"There was one and what had happened at that hearing, it was scheduled early in the day, and then votes were scheduled, and that hearing then had to be postponed later that day, so yes, I did miss that one," Hagan told the Free Beacon.

The admission couldn't come at a worse time for Hagan, as her lead over Tillis has shrunk to less than 1 percentage point, according to a recent Suffolk University poll, which showed Hagan holding a mere 45.40 percent lead against Tillis' 45 percent.

Tillis jumped on the issue, telling Politico, "Quite frankly, if I had anything as serious as the threat of ISIS, I would have canceled anything. We've got to look at the context here."

It's not the first time Tillis has slammed Hagan for absenteeism in the race. He recently claimed in a campaign video that she has missed more than half the meetings of the Senate Armed Services Committee in 2014.

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Politifact, noting that the committee held 11 closed meetings and 22 open meetings this year and Hagan attended only nine open meetings, rated Tillis' claim as "mostly true." It  even amplified Tillis' statement by adding that out of 28 meetings in 2013, Hagan attended just 14, giving her an attendance record of only 23 out of 50 open meetings, less than half, over two years.

"What is the excuse for not showing up to work half the time?" Tillis asked Politico. "Sen. Hagan needs to be held accountable."

The Suffolk poll found that 34.6 respondents said that revelations of Hagan's missed meetings would make it less likely that they would vote for her, while 53.4 percent said it would make no difference.

North Carolina Republican Party executive director Todd Poole told the Free Beacon, "Senator Hagan has an embarrassing record of skipping important hearings at the Senate Armed Services Committee. Now she has admitted the worst possible excuse is true: She skipped a committee hearing for a political fundraiser.

"After weeks of hiding the truth, she owes the people of North Carolina, the people who sign her paycheck, an explanation — and an apology."

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Politics
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan has landed in trouble in the perilously close race against her Republican challenger, North Carolina state Rep. Thom Tillis, over a revelation that she skipped a crucial classified Senate briefing on ISIS to attend a fundraiser.
Kay Hagan, Senate, ISIS, midterms, fundraiser, election
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2014-46-09
Thursday, 09 October 2014 10:46 AM
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