State Department hires testimony coach to prepare for congressional grillings

[Jackson]

State Department hires testimony coach to prepare for congressional grillings

Series of stumbles at hearings prompts $545K witness training contract

After suffering through a striking number of rough grillings at the hands of Congress, State Department officials have approved a contract worth up to $545,000 to help train themselves for how to brief lawmakers and to testify at hearings.

The contract with Orlando, Florida-based AMTIS, Inc. includes classes entitled “Communicating with Congress: Briefing and Testifying” and pays for one-on-one sessions to hold a mock hearing with questioners playing the role of lawmakers asking hard questions of the would-be witnesses.


Over the last two years, department officials have stumbled through hearings on their handling of the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, been berated for failing to be able to lay out a new legal framework for the war on terror and seen one top campaign bundler for President Obama admit he’d never traveled to Argentina — the country he’d been nominated to serve in as U.S. ambassador.

State Department officials did not respond to questions about the contract by deadline on Thursday.

Leslie Paige, spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste, said if officials were doing their jobs correctly, the money wouldn’t be needed.

“All they have to do is sit there at a microphone, read their testimony and answer questions truthfully, honestly and thoroughly and explain to the American people what they’re doing,” Ms. Paige said.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...es-testimony-coach-to-prepare-/#ixzz39qqq9uxR
Follow us: [MENTION=39892]Was[/MENTION]htimes on Twitter


Why do they need coaches when all they have to do is answer truthfully?

 

[Lakhota]

Standard procedure.

 

[Katzndogz]

They gotta learn how to tell better lies.

 

[Bush92]

They gotta learn how to tell better lies.

Fucking outrage. My tax dollars going to pay for criminal bureaucrats to have lessons on how to lie.

 

[konradv]

They gotta learn how to tell better lies.

I guess they're just not as good at lying as the Republicans.

 

[Peach]

They gotta learn how to tell better lies.

I guess they're just not as good at lying as the Republicans.

It is SOP in business litigation, sometimes useless though. With very techinical cases however, the attorneys are often more involved with non testimony evidence. I use on occasion with people that "freeze" or get angry in Court proceedings.

 

[Kosh]

They gotta learn how to tell better lies.

I guess they're just not as good at lying as the Republicans.

So we should all plea the fifth then ramble on for 5 minutes after making that plea.

 

[Nutz]

Neither side has any honor.

 

[Jackson]

No, it's to teach them to evade the truth. And as Peach and Nutz indicated, both sides probably employ them for various reasons, but the major reasons are to avoid getting caught in the web of truths as they stumble along. It has happened to them as the article demonstrated.

 

[Wildman]

State Department hires testimony coach to prepare for congressional grillings

Series of stumbles at hearings prompts $545K witness training contract

After suffering through a striking number of rough grillings at the hands of Congress, State Department officials have approved a contract worth up to $545,000 to help train themselves for how to brief lawmakers and to testify at hearings.

The contract with Orlando, Florida-based AMTIS, Inc. includes classes entitled “Communicating with Congress: Briefing and Testifying” and pays for one-on-one sessions to hold a mock hearing with questioners playing the role of lawmakers asking hard questions of the would-be witnesses.


Over the last two years, department officials have stumbled through hearings on their handling of the 2012 terrorist attack in Benghazi, been berated for failing to be able to lay out a new legal framework for the war on terror and seen one top campaign bundler for President Obama admit he’d never traveled to Argentina — the country he’d been nominated to serve in as U.S. ambassador.

State Department officials did not respond to questions about the contract by deadline on Thursday.

Leslie Paige, spokeswoman for Citizens Against Government Waste, said if officials were doing their jobs correctly, the money wouldn’t be needed.

“All they have to do is sit there at a microphone, read their testimony and answer questions truthfully, honestly and thoroughly and explain to the American people what they’re doing,” Ms. Paige said.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news...es-testimony-coach-to-prepare-/#ixzz39qqq9uxR
Follow us: [MENTION=39892]Was[/MENTION]htimes on Twitter


Why do they need coaches when all they have to do is answer truthfully?

that is a pretty silly question to ask.., remember, they are liberfuckinglying scum.

 

[Wildman]

Standard procedure.

right on !

liberliars would prefer to die than tell the truth, truth to a fucking liberscum is like the Silver bullet to a vampire.

 

[S.J.]

Standard procedure.

right on !

liberliars would prefer to die than tell the truth, truth to a fucking liberscum is like the Silver bullet to a vampire.

Werewolf. Vampire gets the wooden stake. The rest of what you said is accurate as hell.

 

[Jackson]

I can just see their coach's inside the courtroom while the State Dept employees testify. The coach is sweating bullets, agonizing over each answer spitting out of the employees mouth and suddenly the truth comes out and the coach's head snaps back, and he blurts out, "Oh, sh*&, were done for now!"

 

[BlackSand]

One of the problems sited was the inability for a candidate seeking approval as Embassador to Iceland to confortably answer the question of whether or not they had actually ever been to Iceland before.
Seems to me that a plane ticket to Iceland prior to the conformation hearing would be a lot cheaper than a coach teaching them to be a better bullshitter.

.

 

[Jackson]

One of the problems sited was the inability for a candidate seeking approval as Embassador to Iceland to confortably answer the question of whether or not they had actually ever been to Iceland before.
Seems to me that a plane ticket to Iceland prior to the conformation hearing would be a lot cheaper than a coach teaching them to be a better bullshitter.

.

Or even better, find someone who has even lived there for a while and would be a good Ambassador instead of giving these jobs to political donors!