Time to put up or shut up. Monday’s open hearing of the Senate Intelligence Committee will give the public the chance to hear testimony on Trump’s wiretapping accusation against President Obama, as well as possible connections between his campaign and Russia.
On the idiotic wiretapping accusations that Trump initiated only to distract from the latest Trump–Russia talk, the unpresidented Twitterer is likely to get a slap.
It's a moment of political theater that could end in humiliation for Trump, with Comey expected to say that there was no wiretapping, debunking allegations that Trump has repeatedly refused to withdraw.
On the Russia front, don't get too excited. For a number of questions, the best answer we can expect from Comey is likely a shrug. Should the FBI Director even admit that an investigation is underway, that in itself will be substantial news. But just in case, Donald Trump is pre-tweeting.
The real story that Congress, the FBI and all others should be looking into is the leaking of Classified information. Must find leaker now!
Expect Team Trump to claim that any failure to draw an immediate and direct line between the campaign and Putin as proof that there isn't one, but the most likely answer from Comey on any active investigation is nothing at all—unless it's a secondhand possibility that a laptop might have some unimportant emails, of course. The biggest Republican ‘win’ of the day will likely be a vaguely worded statement that can be interpreted as “nothing going on here” when it merely means “we're not talking about that."
Meanwhile, Comey isn’t the only person testifying on Monday. Someone else many Democrats are anxious to see will also be talking.
The early firing of Acting Attorney General Sally Yates was dubbed by many as Trump's "Monday Night Massacre."
Yates will testify about the warning she gave the White House concerning Michael Flynn — and how that warning was roundly ignored.
Flynn will not be making an appearance Monday, though he may soon be giving testimony in a more private setting. Donald Trump will also not be present today. If he shows up before the Senate, it will likely be because a very different sort of hearing is underway.
The two men in charge of Monday’s hearing have already made their opinions on one point quite clear.
"Was there a physical wiretap of Trump Tower? No ... there never was," Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes told "Fox News Sunday."
The top Democrat on the committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, added on NBC's "Meet the Press": "I hope that we can put an end to this wild goose chase because what the President said was just patently false."
Republicans will spend most of their time fishing for a way to declare the investigation of connections between Trump and Russia as a witch hunt. Much of this is likely to come by pretending to seek answers they know Comey can't or won't deliver—such as questions that begin “is there evidence of collusion...”. Democrats will look for some public indication that the investigation is still underway.
But it should be an interesting day.