A new pro-impeachment TV ad boils Mueller's 6 hours of testimony down to 32 seconds


Billionaire Tom Steyer will not be on the debate stage with his fellow Democratic presidential candidates Tuesday or Wednesday night, but a pro-impeachment organization he bankrolls, Need to Impeach, will be spending somewhere in the mid-six-figures to air a new 32-second ad on CNN and MSNBC before and after the debates, Politico reported Tuesday morning. The commercial, called "What Mueller Said," is the first paid advertising featuring former Special Counsel Robert Mueller's high-profile testimony before two House committees last week.
"Mueller was panned last week for being short in his testimony before Congress, giving little ammo to Democrats who wanted to capitalize politically from his appearance," Politico reports, but this new ad by Mark Putnam condenses Mueller's six hours of terse answers into 32 seconds of dramatic testimony, at least from the Democratic point of view. That's no small feat: The hearings themselves were something of a critical and ratings disappointment.
The new ad features questions from House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.), Rep. Val Demings (D-Fla.), and House Intelligence Committee Chair Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), and "it will be very much talked about in the next few days," Politico predicts. Watch below. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
By Peter Weber, The Week US
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US
-
'Wicked' and 'Gladiator II' ignite holiday box office
Speed Read The combination of the two movies revitalized a struggling box office
By Peter Weber, The Week US