Jackson, MS – Embroiled in controversy for refusing to join two scheduled U.S. Senate debates, appointed Senator Cindy Hyde-Smith refused to answer basic constituent questions about the border wall with Mexico and repealing Obamacare, according to a recently released video.

“It is unacceptable that our appointed U.S. Senator is unable to answer basic questions about fully funding the border wall and finally doing away with Obamacare,” McDaniel said. “This recently released video shows exactly why Cindy won’t debate — it’s because she can’t answer these questions.”

The video, released Monday by Remember Mississippi PAC, shows Cindy Hyde-Smith uncomfortably answering a series of questions on key Republican issues such as building the wall and repealing Obamacare.

The exchange begins with a constituent politely asking Sen. Hyde-Smith about the wall.

“Obviously it’s a complicated process … you have to have a bill to vote on it, and it has to go through the committee process,” Hyde-Smith dodges.

“Well that’s your job, right?” a constituent asks.

“No it’s not just — we have one hundred U.S. Senators,” she says. “Why haven’t you written a bill to fund the border wall,” the constituent asks.

“We have always been working on it, since I’ve been there we’ve been working on it,” Hyde-Smith answered.

The constituent then shifts topic to Obamacare, at which point a staffer steps in and takes over the conversation with the constituent, allowing Hyde-Smith to avoid having to answer questions about these key issues.

You can watch the exchange here.

The same day the video was released, the Hyde-Smith campaign announced she would not attend the two scheduled debates.

“Maybe she doesn’t want to answer for having voted for Hillary, or maybe she doesn’t want to discuss having spent her entire life as a Democrat,” McDaniel said, “or it could be that she’s afraid to discuss the fact that she won’t push Mitch McConnell to fully fund the border wall, but whatever the reason, Mississippians deserve to hear from their elected officials.”

Millsaps College and Mississippi Public Broadcasting will host three of the four candidates in a debate on Oct. 4th, and another debate is to be held on Oct. 23, this one sponsored by The Clarion-Ledger, WLBT, and the Mississippi Bar Association