What Went Down During Marie Yovanovitch’s Testimony

So far, I think Democrats’ questioning of Yovanovitch has been quite deft. They took advantage of Trump’s tweet attacking Yovanovitch and the pathos of Yovanovitch’s story. The key will be how Republicans respond. Did Democrats (with Trump’s help) lay a trap by making her seem like she’s continuing to be victimized by powerful government figures? It could be hard for Republicans to vigorously go after her credibility now without seeming like bullies. But there’s still room for them to dismiss her testimony as ancillary to the investigation.

So far, I think today has been a lot of bad PR for Republicans. Trump’s tweet came off as vicious and gave Democrats a reason to accuse him of witness intimidation. And Yovanovitch’s testimony comes off as sincere and sympathetic. At the same time, I don’t think Democrats have made the case yet for how it relates to the ostensible impeachable offense, pressuring Ukraine on the July 25 call. But it’s early, and we know the effect of these hearings is cumulative. Maybe they are laying the groundwork for tying the two together later.

I know that the press got some heat for talking about how Wednesday’s hearing played on TV, but the reality is that how the hearings come across will affect whether public opinion moves, and in which way. So performance actually does matter. With that in mind, it’s worth thinking about these hearings as something of a production. Why are the witnesses ordered the way they are? Is there a coherent story being told? How much is color versus specifically about impeachment?