Senator Grills Witness, Finds He's At Wrong Hearing

Senator Dan Coats of Indiana began questioning a witness on Capitol Hill in front of a Senate committee.

David Cohen, under secretary of the treasury for terrorism and financial intelligence, looked confused when Coates began complimenting him. The issue involved over his handling of a letter from the Senator. Only afterward did Coates realize he had shown up at the wrong meeting, and was interviewing a different witness than he thought.

After the discussion began, Coates said, “I just got a note saying I’m at the wrong hearing. I’ve got the right room number, but the wrong hearing.”

Cohen responded, “Well, that would explain why I didn’t know anything about this letter.”

The Republican from Indiana then left the room.

Dan Coates first held the position of U.S. Senator from the Hoosier State from 1989 to 1999. Later he was appointed as ambassador to Germany, and was re-elected to the Senate in 2010.

The 70-year-old lawmaker said he saw familiar faces in the room, and thought he was in the right place.

Senator Coates was meant to appear at a hearing, being held in a different room in the same building an hour later. When the lawmaker arrived, he found Deputy Defense Undersecretary Mike McCord did know about the letter in question.

The lawmaker told the press this has never happened to him before in his career.

From 1976 to 1980, Coates worked for a politician who would become well-known for his gaffes — Dan Quayle. After the future vice-president left his house seat in 1980 to run for Senate, Coates replaced him in the U.S. House.

Coates later tweeted “I think the Russians have been messing with my schedule.”

The senator had been named in sanctions imposed by Vladimir Putin over the situation in Crimea.