State Department hires testimony coach to prepare for congressional grillings

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. 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. “It’s not ‘The Charlie Rose Show’; it’s not ‘The View,’” she said. “It is congressional testimony. So just cough up the facts, because that’s all we really need from you.” Documents show the contract also includes a separate ambassadorial seminar “for building effective relationships with members of Congress and their staffers.”...more 

For "State Department officials" read political appointees, and for "building effective relationships" read lobbying.  The DC Deep Thinkers must be trained to talk to Congress and to lobby staff?  What a laugh.