What is it with DOJ and FBI smirking?
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The “smirk” is a tell, to borrow a poker term.
You have to understand, it is VERY hard to go alone, into a large place with lots of faces and voices, lots of lights and cameras, and feel like the whole world is putting you on trial. It probably feels like the whole thing is caving in right on down on you.
There is only one way to prepare for a situation like that and be able to weather the questioning and all the challenges and the confrontation; you need to be pre-programmed with an arrogant defiance.
But there is one HUGE problem with showing up to congress and SAYING things filled with contempt and arrogance; You will get destroyed in the court of public opinion, at the least, and possibly charged criminally because you have zero likability and the tiniest little slip you make will be exploited rather than protected.
So, but you need the armor of defiant wit that comes from feeling like you are smarter and better than your inquisitors. So, you are trained to say as little as possible, give no red meat, absolutely give no rope to hang yourself with, and deny deny deny. The only way to keep that up for hours under duress without weakening is to be convinced you are right.
So since you cant actually tell your inqisitors that you think you are better than them, you simply try to appear as though you are a cooperative and conscientious witness while you are thumbing your nose at them with your responses. But as cooperative as you try to make yourself appear, that tell shines through. You’re going to smirk when you’re telling yourself that they are stupid and you are in control. Human beings are not robots, they can’t hide every emotion all of the time.
The smirk = contempt
Notice how when Gowdy told him that he doesn’t “give a damn” about his feelings and gave him the smack down, those raised eyebrows and the raised forehead jackassery dropped like a hammer. Gowdy landed the punch and it rattled the sucker.