Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) missed a hearing on the Veterans Affairs crisis because she was surfing with Yahoo News reporter Chris Moody, according to Honolulu Civil Beat.

Gabbard’s office had initially told Civil Beat that she missed a Senate field hearing on veterans chaired by Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-HI) because she was at another hearing. But more recently Gabbard’s office said that she was stuck with Yahoo News reporter Chris Moody who was doing a report on her surfing in Waikiki. Gabbard, according to Civil Beat, had thought she would be able to make the hearing but she ran out of time.

Gabbard’s office had initially said that she had a commitment that “ran very late” according to Civil Beat. Last Friday, however, Gabbard press secretary Heather Fluit explained she missed the hearing because she was being interviewed by Moody. Here is Fluit’s statement to Civil Beat:

Unfortunately, due to the Yahoo News crew getting stuck in rush hour traffic, Congresswoman Gabbard’s interview with Yahoo News started and ended late. This led to her being so behind schedule that she wouldn’t have been able to get to Senator Hirono’s hearing until the near end. Once Congresswoman Gabbard realized how late she would be, she decided not to go because she felt it would have been disruptive and disrespectful to just show up at the end.

Fluit also said to CivilBeat “we are reviewing our scheduling process and Congresswoman Gabbard regrets that she was unable to attend.”

TPM also reached out to Gabbard’s office.

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