WE SPOKE WITH DEMOCRATS FAMILIAR with the game plan, and here’s the deal:

THIS IS NOT AN IMPEACHMENT HEARING, but rather an oversight hearing of the intelligence community. But obviously, the material here is highly relevant to impeachment. The Democrats’ goal is to understand what the White House and DOJ did to block Congress from getting the whistleblower’s complaint and IG report, and why. Was there a cover-up? Who ordered what, when, why and through what channels? The committee will also be pushing for the DNI to make more information about the complaint public — although there’s skepticism they’ll be able to do that.

NEW: THE ADVISERS … WHO HAS THE LEADERSHIP AND COMMITTEE’S EAR? The Democratic leadership and committee staff are relying on significant outside counsel as they try to keep the impeachment and oversight process on the tracks.

PHIL SCHILIRO, who ran leg affairs for President BARACK OBAMA and was a top Oversight staffer for Rep. HENRY WAXMAN (D-Calif.), is informally advising the Democratic leadership and key committees about the oversight process. He recently started Co-Equal, an organization dedicated to legislating. (The organization has compiled Oversight Committee precedent. So if someone says “No staff member has ever been able to question a witness!” Co-Equal can tell you when it’s happened.) Also advising the Democrats: FRED WERTHEIMER and LAURENCE TRIBE.