Shan Wu is a former federal prosecutor who served as counsel to Attorney General Janet Reno
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect when I was invited to testify before the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government. While I have prepared people to testify before Congress, it was the first time I was the one in the witness chair and I expected more stress. Prepping other people allows you the luxury of reacting and word-smithing answers but answering questions as a witness gives you no time to edit or get input before you have to answer. And, as a lawyer, I’m used to being the one asking the questions.
To get ready I reminded myself of what I would tell my own witnesses, which was that they knew the subject of their own testimony better than anyone else in the room, and that no amount of combative questioning could change that fact. My advice worked well for my preparation, but nothing could have prepared me for how transparently performative were Republicans in their questioning.
