General Discussion

First, the managers didn't "back down." They wanted to get the witness' statement in the record. They got it in the record. That's all they needed.

The notes were a separate issue. They would have simply confirmed her testimony if there was any question about what she said. But since her statement went into the record without objection, there was no need to put her notes in, as well.

And of course the lawyer said the statement wasn't true - after the fact and after he agreed to let it go into the record and offered absolutely no objection or contradiction to it. Had the witness testified in person with three angels on her shoulder, he STILL would have gone to a microphone afterward and claimed her statement wasn't true. So who cares what he said in a press conference after the fact?

And, fyi, recess is not a vacation and doesn't mean that Congress stopped working on Biden's agenda. There is more to legislating than standing on the chamber floor and voting or asking questions during Committee hearings. House and Senate work continues and Biden's agenda is being worked on even though the Members and Senators are in their home states and districts.

For example, the Senate will conduct several DOJ confirmation hearings next week, including Merrick Garland's. There is a HUGE amount of work that goes into getting ready for those hearings and that work is being done at the staff and principal level. In fact, it's much easier to do those preparations when the Senate is not in session because the staffs can focus on preparing for the hearings and not be distracted with the day-to-day madness of a session, as anyone who has worked in that space can tell you.

So, your criticisms and snark are misplaced.