Ivanka Trump should take a page from Frank Zappa's playbook before appearing before Jan. 6 panel: legal expert

A legal expert offered some unsolicited advice to Ivanka Trump ahead of her possible appearance before the House select committee.

Donald Trump's eldest daughter and former White House adviser has been asked to appear for an interview before the panel investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection, and attorney and government relations strategist Josh Nass made some suggestions in an NBC News column.

"Over the years, [I've] watched prominent people hauled before a congressional committee who got it right, and more than a few who got it terribly wrong," wrote Nass. "Those who performed poorly often ducked direct questions, gave vague answers, made excuses for mistakes, apologized grudgingly — or not at all — for misbehavior, challenged congressional authority, acted adversarial or even hostile and otherwise embarrassed and disgraced themselves."

Nass recently represented conservative activist Dustin Stockton, who helped lead the “March for Trump” bus tour, and was subpoenaed by the House select committee, and he's encouraged that Ivanka Trump is reportedly talking with the panel to voluntarily appear.

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"Testifying before Congress, especially in controversial cases, is a uniquely challenging exercise in part because it’s a form of show business — and it’s the lawmakers who get to write the script," Nass wrote. "Some senators may take more time asking questions than listening to answers. They often appear more interested in driving home a political point than in learning anything new, relevant or valuable from the person being questioned."

Nass said Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and the so-called "Pharma Bro" Martin Shkreli were two of the biggest flops he's seen appear before a congressional panel, but he praised the late rocker Frank Zappa's 1985 appearance before a Senate committee looking into profanity in music recordings.

"The senators likely expected to confront a fire-breathing devil," Nass wrote. "But Zappa appeared in a suit, his stringy hair cropped and his signature fierce mustache trimmed. More important, he acknowledged the seriousness of the issue of unchecked obscenities and offered thoughtful solutions for posting album lyrics on covers for parents to review. By the time Zappa completed his testimony, his horns had been replaced with a halo."

Nass encouraged his own client, Stockton, to take note, and he urged Ivanka Trump to take a page from Zappa's playbook.

"Check your arrogance at the door, along with your disdain for a particular party," he wrote. "Commend the hearings for supporting a suitable thesis and purpose. Comport yourself like an eighth grader called to the principal’s office. Remain fully engaged and responsive to any and all questions. Show respect and humility without exception. Speak with courtesy and deference. If Frank Zappa could do it, I reasoned, so can a Republican operative."

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