The case against Trump is often focused on “things Trump almost did,” such as ordering the seizure of voting machines or appointing Sidney Powell as a special counsel. The committee also enjoys presenting salacious tidbits of information for the purposes of titillation. In the last hearing, it was a tale — later contested — of Trump grabbing a steering wheel and lunging for a person’s throat while demanding to be taken to the Capitol. On Tuesday, it was a Dec. 18 White House meeting featuring a screaming match and a near-physical altercation over how far to go to contest the election. Lots of sound and fury in both cases, but in the end they signify nothing.

Van Tatenhove did offer one good piece of advice: We need to quit mincing words and call things what they are. In that spirit, let’s acknowledge that this politically slanted committee is designed for the sole purpose of indicting Trump and his supporters — first in the realm of public opinion and then by motivating the Justice Department to bring charges. With such a clear agenda, the committee is cheered by those who already despise Trump but dismissed as a partisan witch hunt by Trump’s followers, who are ignoring the hearings.