Republican lawmakers, as well as prominent allies and legal advisers to this president, want to turn it into a hostile referendum on the nexus of the “deep state” and sexual dalliance and infidelity—which is to say that they want to use Mueller’s testimony to zero in on the duo that President Trump has repeatedly slammed as “the FBI lovers.”…

One Democratic aide told The Daily Beast that his office was unconcerned about Republicans asking about Strzok during the upcoming hearing, knowing that Mueller would do little to engage any questions, especially about his team or former FBI agents. “He isn’t going to answer anything other than yes or no questions,” the aide said. “Or at least he isn’t going to expand on much. That’s why we have to be strategic about what we ask him.”

Democratic staffers who spoke to The Daily Beast said they are spending the next few weeks of preparation re-reading the Mueller Report, focusing on what questions they need the former special counsel to answer in the affirmative, especially because he is going to be testifying on national television.