Such hearings on workplace harassment could produce concrete benefits in the form of legislative solutions to systems that stack the deck against victims, such as nondisclosure agreements written into employment contracts. But while pointing to Trump as a test case might be politically satisfying, the end goal of that piece of it is less clear. What comes after the investigation? The behavior the president is accused of, especially because voters were aware of the allegations before the election, probably does not constitute an impeachable offense.

The answer is that we should think of the hearing as justification in itself, something akin to a truth and reconciliation commission. In societies rebuilding after devastating conflict — notably post-genocide Rwanda and post-apartheid South Africa — such commissions have encouraged both victims and perpetrators to share their experiences and work toward the truth of what took place. It’s an alternative model of justice focused on healing a wounded community rather than punishing the guilty.