Original sentence: Gravel claimed that the questionnaire "fell through the cracks" andrequested to be invited to the debate anyway, which was rejected by the AFL-CIO.MSNBC host Keith Olbermann hosted the debate, which featured seven of the candidates.Mike Gravel was excluded because he failed to submit a written questionnaire by the August 6 deadline.Questionnaires were also sent to Republicans but no candidates responded.The AFL-CIO Working Families Vote Presidential Forum was held at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois in front of approximately 15,000 union members and their families.The questions in the debate will be used to determine if and whom the AFL-CIO will endorse in the Democratic primary
Edited sentence: In an interview on MSNBC, earlier during the day, Gravel stated that the organizers of the debate used a technicality to excuse their desire not to invite him to the event.MSNBC's Keith Olbermann hosted a debate at 7:00 P.Somewhat controversially, Mike Gravel was not present on this occassion