Democrats Need to Rethink Mueller’s Hearing

Jonathan Bernstein: “For one thing, settling for a one-day, two-committee session is already a defeat.., For another, what they did eventually win – a third hour for the judiciary committee, apparently to allow each of the Democrats on the panel to have five minutes to question the witness – suggests the worst: We may be in for a whole lot of grandstanding by individual members.”

Seemingly every experienced observer has said the same thing about these hearings: Democrats should swallow their egos and turn over their time to the committee’s counsel to do the initial questioning – or, perhaps, to a handful of committee members who could coordinate.  Here’s my suggestion: New members of the committees should simply give away their time to other lawmakers designated by the committee chairs, on the condition that the questioners consult with them about what to ask.”

“This wouldn’t be an entirely selfless act. After all, new members go last in such hearings anyway. Few constituents will be watching live and it’s unlikely that the end-of-the-line group will win the battle of the sound bites. In other words, five minutes really isn’t worth very much. Giving their time away, by contrast, would probably generate some positive publicity and win some credit from more senior lawmakers. Most important, though, it would be good for the nation – because a better-run hearing will be better able to dramatize Trump’s misconduct, which is supposed to be the point.”