A Wednesday hearing during which GOP representatives grilled FBI director Christopher Wray was "for show," and not for holding the agency to account for any mistakes, according to former FBI general counsel Andrew Weissmann.
Weissmann, who previously predicted Trump's conviction in the classified documents case, appeared on MSNBC Wednesday night alongside Rep. Eric Swalwell. Weissmann discussed how, when hearings like the recently publicized one don't have cameras present, the performative nature was downplayed and things could actually get done.
"You actually get work done. People actually ask you real questions. You go there with a sense of obligation to give answers to congress," he said. "It doesn't matter whether it's a Democrat or Republican. And that's the purpose."
Weissmann further disagreed with labeling the Wray event a "hearing."
"This is, when you asked the congressman what he took from this hearing, this isn't a hearing. This is soundbites for people to play on TV. The witness is not a witness... they are not there to give answers. The whole thing is just for show," he said.
He further added:
"What is unfortunate is, there are a lot of issues with respect to the FBI. There's a lot of good, a lot of things they are doing really well, but there are also issues where they've had failures."
