GOP: Hagan Lying that She Did Not Profit from Stimulus

In reaction to a report revealing that Sen. Kay Hagan’s husband’s business received nearly $390,000 in federal grants and tax credits, Republicans argue that the Hagan campaign is lying when it claims the incumbent senator did not profit off the stimulus. 

“It’s deeply troubling that a multi-millionaire like Kay Hagan has personally profited from a bloated government spending program after voting for the stimulus plan in the Senate, raising serious questions of conflict of interest,” Todd Poole, Executive Director of the North Carolina Republican Party, said Friday. “Being good stewards of taxpayer money is one of the biggest responsibilities of a public official, but Hagan has chosen to pocket the hard-earned dollars of American taxpayers.”

Hagan is engaged in a tight reelection battle. She is facing Republican challenger Thom Tillis. Recent polls show her with a slight lead. 

Thursday evening, Politico reported that the 2009 economic stimulus Hagan supported ended up benefitting her husband Chip Hagan’s company, JDC Manufacturing, to the tune of nearly $390,000.

Politico reported that in a statement “the Hagan campaign said the senator did not help her husband win the federal funding and disputed any suggestion they have profited off the law,” a contention with which Republicans are taking issue. 

“Kay Hagan’s campaign is now lying about the fact that she personally profited $390,000 in taxpayer-funded stimulus cash,” Poole added. “Kay Hagan needs to stop hiding behind her Washington D.C. crisis communications consultants and explain why she profited off the backs of North Carolina taxpayers.”

The National Republican Senatorial Committee further slammed Hagan’s response to the benefits in an email Friday morning. 

“Think about it: three months after being sworn into the Senate, Senator Kay Hagan voted for legislation that directed significant resources to a company her husband co-owns with his brothers (the average yearly income in North Carolina is $45,000. Chip Hagan’s company received nine times that amount with a single stroke of a pen),” NRSC spokespeople Brad Dayspring and Brook Hougesen wrote in an email.

They further stressed that the Hagan campaign is lying when it says Hagan did not profit from the law.

“Confronted by the fact that her family personally profited from one of her first votes in Washington, Senator Hagan refused to explain and instead directed questions about her personal finances and profits to staff,” the NRSC wrote. “The Hagan campaign, in response, ‘disputed any suggestion they have profited off the law.’ If the Politico story is accurate, this assertion is a flat-out lie.” 

The Tillis campaign also pushed the contention that the Hagan campaign is lying, issuing a press release Friday morning asking “Why Is Hagan’s Campaign Lying By Claiming She Made No Profit On The Stimulus After She Directly Received Nearly $390,000?”

“Kay Hagan’s campaign is being dishonest. After Hagan personally profited from nearly $390,000 in stimulus funds, her campaign’s response is an outright falsehood that insults the intelligence of North Carolinians,” the Tillis campaign added in its release. “Hagan is flat-out refusing to explain why she thought it was appropriate to request and then receive a significant sum of taxpayer money from legislation she passed.”