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Levin Center publishes op-ed praising January 6 committee hearings format [1]

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Date: 2022-07-13

WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 13: (L-R) U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) (L), Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Chairman of the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol, and Vice Chairwoman Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY), listen during a hearing on the January 6th investigation in the Cannon House Office Building on June 13, 2022 in Washington, DC. The bipartisan committee, which has been gathering evidence for almost a year related to the January 6 attack at the U.S. Capitol, will present its findings in a series of televised hearings. On January 6, 2021, supporters of former ... Donald Trump attacked the U.S. Capitol Building during an attempt to disrupt a congressional vote to confirm the electoral college win for President Joe Biden. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Got an e-mail from the Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy at Wayne State University:

Read our latest op-ed in The Hill:



"The Jan. 6 committee is modeling a better way to conduct hearings" by Jim Townsend "The House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the U.S. Capitol has developed a novel format that can benefit future congressional investigations involving complex matters with high visibility and strong political interests. Unlike past investigations and hearings where information was presented largely through the questioning of witnesses in limited periods of time (often five minutes) by different committee members with widely varying interests, the Jan. 6 committee has presented the fruits of its investigation in a coherent, organized manner through meaningful visuals and videos; clear, uninterrupted questioning; and penetrating hearing summaries via closing statements. It’s a welcome lesson."

Here’s a direct link (the e-mail has a “read more” link that goes through an intermediary). Jim Townsend, the op-ed author, characterizes some past congressional hearings as resembling “political food fights,” then goes on to describe the typical format for a congressional hearing.

While the intention of that [typical] process is to give each member the opportunity to participate, when the issue is highly partisan the result for the listening audience is often confusion and diversion from the most important facts and the true purpose of the hearing. The Jan. 6 committee chose to break that mold and agree beforehand to have brief opening statements by the chair and vice chair, no opening statements by the other members or witnesses, and to limit questioning largely to one member. The result has been to dramatically improve the clarity and public understanding of the facts.

Definitely.

Some critics complain that the committee had made up its mind on the facts before the hearings. Well, that’s true in most congressional hearings. ... The purpose of the hearings is to show the public what the committee has learned [during the investigation phase] — in particular, the key evidence and how the committee interprets it. And when the subject of the hearings is highly political, the key evidence can get lost in the political back and forth among the members or in questions being asked that are extraneous to the purpose of the hearing. See, for example, the Benghazi hearings.

That’s an understatement. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-California) told us very clearly what the purpose of the Benghazi hearings was: to depress Hillary Clinton’s poll numbers.

But here, the Jan. 6 committee has shown us how a committee, with forethought, the judicious use of technology, and bipartisan cooperation, can provide to the public detailed information in a clear and convincing manner that focuses on the substance of the material being presented and not on the personalities or political aspirations of the committee members.

The true test is of course will be whether or not Donald Trump is held accountable for at least one of his many, many crimes.

P. S. for fans of The Young and the Restless: As far as I can tell, yesterday CBS aired a new episode of your favorite soap, which was then interrupted at 1:00 p.m. Eastern for the congressional hearing.

But the soap’s producers and CBS were probably saving certain highly dramatic moments for today. Ashland’s beaten, but he’s already plotting revenge. Also, the much-hated Diane is refusing to join the much-hated Ashland’s cause. Still, Victoria hasn’t seen the last of Ashland yet. And Billy’s silly podcast continues.

So don’t worry, the soap’s slow-moving plotlines won’t be bothered by the congressional hearings. Victoria Newman will be alright. American democracy might or might not be.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/7/13/2110112/-Levin-Center-publishes-op-ed-praising-January-6-committee-hearings-format

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