Senator Quips ‘The Russians’ Caused Him To Show Up At The Wrong Hearing

Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., speaks after a Senate Republican caucus meeting about the fiscal cliff, on Capitol Hill Monday, Dec. 31, 2012 in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
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For a veteran senator who landed in the wrong committee hearing — and proceeded to question a witness no less — being a good sport helped move past the blunder.

Sen. Dan Coats (R-IN) turned up at an appropriations subcommittee hearing on Wednesday and began to compliment a witness on his prompt response to a letter Coats sent, according to the Washington Post. But the witness, of course, didn’t know anything about that, and someone soon slipped Coats a note saying that he was at the wrong hearing.

“Well, this is the first time this has ever happened to me, but I hope it’s not a precursor of what might happen,” Coats said.

“You’re always welcome in our committee,” Sen. Tom Udall (D-NM) assured him.

“Well, thank you,” Coats said. “I saw some familiar faces and I thought this is where I should be.”

Coats later quipped in a Thursday tweet that “the Russians” must have messed with his schedule:

The Washington Post has video of the awkward exchange.

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