History Main / HauledBeforeASenateSubcommittee

** In a tie-in with ''ComicBook/InfiniteCrisis'', {{Superman}} gets to experience this moment during something of a FreakyFridayFlip with his Earth-2 counterpart Kal-L. Where the other Society members refuse to reveal their identities, Superman does and states that he's ashamed to be an American because it got this far.

* In ''Series/Timeless'', Senator McCarthy threatens to put Wyatt up before a Senate subcommittee if he won't confess.

The United States Congress is one of the most powerful legislative bodies in the world. It has an oversight capacity that is quite simply huge and investigates pretty much every aspect of American government policy through a system of permanent and ad-hoc committees. These committees have the power to issue subpoenas and compel relevant officials to testify under oath. While most often rather boring and tedious for most involved, at times they've become high political theater, with some instances ([[RedScare HUAC]], [[{{Scandalgate}} Watergate]]) becoming etched in modern history. Of course the [[WindbagPolitician members of the committee]] have a tendency to act like every last one of these committees is of the '''[[SeriousBusiness utmost]]''' [[SeriousBusiness importance]].

* In ''Film/ClearAndPresentDanger'' (as seen in the page quote), Ritter explains to Jack Ryan exactly what his answers will be if/when Ritter finds himself Hauled Before A Senate [=SubCommittee=]. At the end of the film, [[spoiler: Jack goes before a subcommittee to report on the events of the movie.]]
** Of course, Ritter's GetOutOfJailFreeCard is signed by the person who authorized it, so he pretty much has to name who was responsible if he wants to stay out of jail.
** Interestingly, the book has everything being entirely legal, with the exception that when Jack ''does'' get to the subcommittee, he would be giving them false information based on the briefings that he received from his superiors[[note]] He would be breaking the law by giving false testimony, [[MortonsFork whether he knew it was false or not]], and if the Committee learned he was ordered to lie, then ''and only then'' does the operation become illegal.[[/note]]. He even {{lampshades}} the whole process of government by saying "Everything that's happened only becomes murder ''retroactively'' if something ''extraneous'' to the murder ''does not happen''. Who made up this bullshit process, anyway?"

* In one episode of ''Series/Jake20, Jake and his team are brought to the NSA's emergency inquiry board over the theft of a classified biological weapon. However, Jake is disgusted when the inquiry's real aim is to make Angela Hamilton, the actual thief who only stole the biological weapon to trick and get revenge against the man who used said weapon on her family, as a scapegoat and send her to a foreign prison to cover up the US's involvement of selling biological weapons to their allies. In the end, Jake blackmails the inquiry to free Angela on the threat of sending the board's inquiry transcription to the press using his nanites.

* Many fans of professional sports games that have teams in different states (baseball, football, etc.) wonder why the Senate (or House for that matter) would get involved in sports scandals, such as the steroid/HGH scandal in baseball a few years ago. Since they make the rules (hey, it's ''supposed'' to be their job), they have determined that baseball, football, and the like fall under their jurisdiction of "commerce across state lines."

* ''Film/DeepCover'': After Russell deals a crippling blow to the Gallegos cartel and implicates Hector Guzman as a high-level drug trafficker, he is brought before a House Judiciary Committee hearing to report his findings to the public representatives. When Guzman's crimes are brought to light, several members demand that the evidence be destroyed, as it will inevitably embarass the current administration and possibly hurt US-Mexico relations. Russell had anticipated this, and distributed copies to the press beforehand.

* The hero of the ''Ben Safford'' mysteries (by the creators of the ''Literature/JohnPutnamThatcher'' series) is a congressman. Ben isn't on every committee investigating wrongdoing in the series, but when he is, and he tends to play a more active role in solving the mystery, but he does sit through some interesting proceedings. He sits on a committee uncovering the mechanisms of institutional Medicare fraud in ''The Attending Physician'' (at one point, it's being interrupted by a process server telling the testifying doctor that he's being sued), and is chagrined when the scandal reaches his hometown. In ''Epitaph for a Lobbyist,'' his committee tries to figure out which congressman a murdered lobbyist bribed to rig a vote.

Despite the name, this trope also covers investigations carried out by other legislatures, real or fictional. For example, the [[UsefulNotes/BritishPoliticalSystem British Parliament]] has permanent Select Committees that investigate certain areas, including public accounts, hence this page's use of the committee hearing from ''Film/{{Skyfall}}'' as the heading image. Some examples might not even be legislatures, as long as they concern the nominal governing body with a committee.

* At the end of ''Film/TheBourneIdentity'', Ward Abbott goes before a subcommittee to tie off Operation Treadstone. This receives a CallBack at the end of its second sequel, ''Film/TheBourneUltimatum'', as Pamela Landy goes before a subcommittee to blow the whistle on Operation Blackbriar, which was Treadstone's offshoot. After Abbott finishes testifying about Treadstone, he begins briefing the committee on [[CallForward Blackbriar...]]

* The Senate Committee on Organized Crime plays a huge role in ''Film/TheGodfatherPartII''. One of Michael's former Capos threatens to go state's evidence, [[spoiler:until Michael brings his Italian brother to watch, which shames the Capo enough that he not only recants his testimony in public, he commits suicide.]] As an added bonus, they frame a Senator for killing a hooker, and that same Senator stands up and gives a hilariously over-the-top speech about the contributions of Italian-Americans.

* * ''Fanfic/{{RWBYDestinyOfRemnant}}'': In Chapter 27's flashbacks, Headmaster Ozpin was hauled before the Vale Council to answer for the events that had happened in Volumes 1 - 3.

*** In 1963, after Joe Valachi became the first mobster to break the Mafia's code of silence, omertà, Congressional hearings led by Senator John [=McClellan=] (D-AR) were held on organized crime activities across the United States. The trial exposed American organized crime to the world through Valachi's televised testimony, who publicly acknowledged the Mafia's existence and gave a good good glimpse of its inner workings.

** The Senate's Kefauver and [=McClellan=] Committee hearings on organized crime in the '50s, which directly inspired the aforementioned scenes in ''The Godfather, Part II''. While the hearings ostensibly focused on corruption in the labor movement and various industries, they just as often showed the inner workings and extent of the American mob, heretofore relatively unknown to the public at large (to the point where FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover denied the existence of the Mafia). As with [=HUAC=]'s hearings on Communism, these investigations became also a major career springboard for several Senators involved, notably Estes Kefauver (who ran twice for president based largely on his fame as a "gang buster"), UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy, his brother [[UsefulNotes/RobertFKennedy Bobby]] (who served as committee counsel and gained attention sparring with Teamsters president Jimmy Hoffa), and Republican Senator Barry Goldwater, a later presidential nominee.

* In ''Film/IronMan2'', Tony Stark is facing down a senate subcommittee because his Iron Man suit isn't being shared with the United States government (and the minor detail of him being an unstable billionaire with unrestricted access to a superweapon), which they see as a big no-no. They order Stark to hand it over. Tony says no, saying that because he is Iron Man and "the suit and [he] are one", doing so is akin to indentured servitude and/or prostitution. He ''is'' building a suit for Col. Rhodes, so it's more of a matter of principle than any lack of goodwill. In ''Film/CaptainAmericaTheWinterSoldier'', it's revealed that [[spoiler:one of the committee members is also loyal to HYDRA]].

[[caption-width-right:350:The British Ministry of Defense works too.]]

* In ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', Senator June Finch summons ComicBook/{{Superman}} to a Congressional hearing to discuss whether he's a [[BewareTheSuperman threat]] or not and whether he is responsible for the destruction caused in his [[Film/ManOfSteel fight with Zod]]. During the hearing, [[spoiler: ComicBook/LexLuthor blows up the building, killing everyone inside but Clark, sending him into a HeroicBSOD and making the public more suspicious of the Man of Steel.]]

* A late episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has Slappy, Skippy, and the Warners present at a congressional event where Reef Blunt of the Federal Television Agency celebrates the infamous E/I laws -- Slappy says "we're ruined", and the Warners declare it to be the "end of civilization as we know it". To twist the knife further, Blunt makes Slappy tone down the violence in favor of assembling a non-violent "problem solver" machine. When Skippy comes home with a black eye from the school bully, Slappy wants Skippy to simply use a mallet on him. Skippy points out if they do that, they'll simply "get dragged into another congressional hearing". (The entire episode was a TakeThat at the FCC and the other idiots who implemented the E/I laws, as well as useless guidance counselors who think that talking to and tricking a foe can work wonders; it's only the liberal application of cartoon violence that stops the bully. When Blunt and the counselor complain, Slappy puts them into the problem-solver machine she'd spent all episode assembling -- it makes all the violence happen off-screen.)

* At the end of ''Film/TheBourneIdentity'', Ward Abbott goes before a subcommittee to tie off Operation Treadstone. This receives a CallBack at the end of its second sequel, ''The Bourne Ultimatum'', as Pamela Landy goes before a subcommittee to blow the whistle on Operation Blackbriar, which was Treadstone's offshoot. After Abbott finishes testifying about Treadstone, he begins briefing the committee on [[CallForward Blackbriar...]]

The United States Congress is one of the most powerful legislative bodies in the world. It has an oversight capacity that is quite simply huge, and investigates pretty much every aspect of American government policy though a system of permanent and ad-hoc committees. These committees have the power to issue subpoenas and compel relevant officials to testify under oath. While most often rather boring and tedious for most involved, at times they've become high political theater, with some instances ([[RedScare HUAC]], [[{{Scandalgate}} Watergate]]) becoming etched in modern history. Of course the [[WindbagPolitician members of the committee]] have a tendency to act like every last one of these committees is of the '''[[SeriousBusiness utmost]]''' [[SeriousBusiness importance]].

Even when not in play directly, this trope may affect a work, as the bosses try to avert being hauled in for a hearing by sweet-talking some senator or representative. Most often the chair of the committee in question. So this is why you see a senator getting a guided tour of the ElaborateUndergroundBase. Just make sure the [[TruthInTelevision committee's head isn't in bed with a high ranking executive of the company they are meant to be investigating]]. Or otherwise [[CorruptPolitician working with the villains]].

* ''Comicbook/{{Watchmen}}'': Several of the original Minutemen are dragged in front of the ([[TruthInTelevision once-real]]) House Un-American Activities Committee. Hooded Justice refuses to participate and vanishes without trace. To the story's modern day (1985) nobody knows who he was. The prequel, ''ComicBook/BeforeWatchmen'', eventually reveals [[spoiler:he was framed for several crimes by The Comedian and killed in battle with the other Minutemen.]]

* ''Fanfic/{{HERZ}}'': Misato often has to appear before committees and general councils to argue about –and often against- using HERZ’s Evangelions in a war. In a chapter she talked before a committee to dissuade them from using Unit 01 in the Congo crisis.

* In ''Film/BatmanVSupermanDawnOfJustice'', Senator June Finch summons ComicBook/{{Superman}} to a Congressional hearing to discuss whether he's a [[BewareTheSuperman threat]] or not, and whether he is responsible for the destruction caused in his [[Film/ManOfSteel fight with Zod]]. During the hearing, [[spoiler: ComicBook/LexLuthor blows up the building, killing everyone inside but Clark, sending him into a HeroicBSOD, and making the public more suspicious of the Man of Steel.]]

** Later episodes incude other instances, including one involving a subcommittee of the Committee on Appropriations before which General Landry and Vala Mal Doran appear. [[spoiler: Vala accuses the chairman of the Committee of CompensatingForSomething; Landry is not amused.]]
* ''Series/TheWestWing'' has several arcs where Josh, Leo and almost every other character was dragged to testify before a committee or another.

--->'''C.J.''': Leo, we need to be investigated by someone who wants to kill us just to watch us die. We need someone perceived by the American people to be irresponsible, untrustworthy, partisan, ambitious and thirsty for the limelight. Am I crazy or is this not a job for the U.S. House of Representatives?

** The UK also has "public inquiries". In one episode of ''Yes, Prime Minister'' Sir Humphrey told Hacker there would be a public inquiry into recent leaks. Hacker replied "I don't want a public inquiry! I want to find out who's responsible!"

* One episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' ("Honeymoon Express") revolves around Al's being called before a subcommittee to account for the doings of Project Quantum Leap. The committee is incredulous at his testimony at first and threatens to cut off their funding, so Al tries to get Sam to do something in the past that will show that he's actually back there and they're not just lying to get funding. [[spoiler:Turns out in the leap Sam is in, he helped a young woman gain confidence to become a lawyer and later run for congress. This causes the [[HangingJudge Hanging Senator]] chairing the hearing to suddenly be replaced by a future version of the woman Sam helped, who approves more funding for the project.]]

* The victim of the first contract in ''VideoGame/HitmanBloodMoney''. The Swing King was a local celebrity and entrepreneur throughout the 80s and 90s, until a Ferris wheel in his park collapsed due to negligence and killed 36 people. Swing King went to court but was cleared of all charges. However, the accident cost him his reputation, his fortune and his trophy wife as a result.
* One of these is a FramingDevice for ''VideoGame/MafiaIII'' (the other is a documentary) where a senate commitee interrogates John Donovan over his aiding Lincoln Clay in his gang war. [[spoiler: Except that this is what Donovan wants, so that he can murder a senator for his part in [[WhoShotJFK Kennedy's assassination]], which is also why he orchestrated the events of the game.]]

* A late episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' has Slappy, Skippy and the Warners present at a congressional event where Reef Blunt of the Federal Television Agency celebrates the infamous E/I laws -- Slappy says "we're ruined", and the Warners declare it to be the "end of civilization as we know it". To twist the knife further, Blunt makes Slappy tone down the violence in favor of assembling a non-violent "problem solver" machine. When Skippy comes home with a black eye from the school bully, Slappy wants Skippy to simply use a mallet on him. Skippy points out if they do that, they'll simply "get dragged into another congressional hearing". (The entire episode was a TakeThat at the FCC and the other idiots who implemented the E/I laws, as well as useless guidance counselors who think that talking to and tricking a foe can work wonders; it's only the liberal application of cartoon violence that stops the bully. When Blunt and the counselor complain, Slappy puts them into the problem-solver machine she'd spent all episode assembling -- it makes all the violence happen off-screen.)

** In non two party democracies (e.g. Germany) the opposition parties will most likely blame it all on the government and the ruling party/ies will pretend nothing happened or at the very least they did nothing wrong. If both sides agree that something seriously has gone wrong, it most likely ''has''.
* The modern TropeCodifier in the United States is probably the House Un-American Activities Committee, whose hearings on alleged Communist infiltration of American government and society were widely televised and played a major role in shaping the RedScare of the '40s and '50s.[[note]]While UsefulNotes/JosephMcCarthy has become the modern poster-child for the era's Red-baiting, and also made use of televised hearings to boost his profile, he was a Senator and officially unaffiliated with HUAC - though he was friend and mentor to several of its hatchet-men.[[/note]] Notably, their investigations into Communist presence of Hollywood led to a great deal of attention, if only due to the well-known movie stars, directors and writers called to testify. More substantially, their hearings on State Department aide Alger Hiss for espionage proved a major career boost for UsefulNotes/RichardNixon, then an obscure Congressman from California. Eventually in the 1960s this committee called in the Yippies Abbie Hoffman and Jerry Rubin and instantly regretted it with those two making a mockery of the proceeding and ''nothing'' the Committee could do could either stop or intimidate them.

* Happened to Colonel Stanislav Petrov after [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983_Soviet_nuclear_false_alarm_incident infamous near miss with nuclear war in 1983]]. His being relieved of duty and placed on administrative leave is sometimes mistakenly interpreted as his being punished, but in fact the closest he came to that was a semi-formal reprimand for improperly recording the incident in his duty log. (The official reward he was promised by his CO never materialised either, but c'est la vie.) Regardless, the committee ultimately concluded that Petrov had acted properly and he was reinstated.
* The UK has public inquiries, the UK equivalent. While it's often used for planning large-scale construction like highways, the more notable handle the same duties as the Senate Sub Committees, such as public transport disasters (mostly notably the [[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic sinking of the]] ''[[UsefulNotes/RMSTitanic Titanic]]'') or outbreaks of E-Coli. Perhaps most spectacular was the Leveson Inquiry, into News International's[[note]]A part of News Corp, owned by Rupert Murdoch[[/note]] culture of phone hacking and wider journalistic ethics. Since several celebrities and other public figures were hacked, they were called on to give evidence; everybody from Creator/JKRowling to Creator/HughGrant to the parents of Madeline [=McCann=]. Of course, the biggest part of this inquiry was how it was the CreatorKiller of ''News of the World''[[note]]Long story short, journalists hired a private investigator to hack the voice mail of a missing teenager who later turned up dead which essentially tampered with the police's investigation[[/note]].
* Many fans of professional sports games that have teams in different states (baseball, football, etc.) wonder why the Senate (or House for that matter) would get involved in sports scandals, such as the steroid/HGH scandal in baseball a few years ago. Since they make the rules (hey, it's ''supposed'' to be their job), they have determined that baseball, football and the like fall under their jurisdiction of "commerce across state lines."