I thought I would be embarrassed to read them. My opinion on the first day was that of General Barr when he told Trump that with regard to claims of electoral fraud, "there is no there there." I saw no there there in this first day. But the instant reactions were more impressed than I was. I feared mockery.
Chairman Thompson and Rep. Cheney each made opening statements. I am familiar with opening statements. I have given over 100 opening statements in criminal court. And I put greater work into my opening statements than my closing arguments because jury studies showed that most jurors develop definitely leaning if not fixed opinions after opening statements. It is a myth born of the trial lawyer's conceit that it is closing argument where the star lawyers prove their worth. The studies refute that conclusively. The first night's hearings were one big opening statement and as one person I felt that the committee failed. I was glued, expecting great things, bombshell new things and to me the Committee didn't deliver. The hearing tonight was too structured in my opinion. I don't know if I will tune in gavel-to-gavel for the next ones. But at least among the cognos, that may change over night as reporting gives way to a bigger picture tomorrow as the cognos have a chance to reflect and consider but I thought the instant reactions might mock and dismiss tonight's hearing. They didn't and I will jump to admit that I was wrong, but what I write here and wrote earlier were my honest, sincere, opinion that tonight the Committee failed.
