Are there some misunderstandings about US Congressional hearings? Congress is the legislative body, not the judicial body. Congressional hearings are primarily a tool for the legislature to exercise oversight, information gathering, and legislative support functions, but they are not judicial trials and do not have the judicial power to convict or sentence individuals. Therefore, hearings cannot formally "convict" the investigated party, nor do they have the power to impose penalties. Isn't it normal that there are no arrests without judicial power? I've also seen many people worrying that the Democratic Party will initiate congressional hearings in the future. It just shows that many people completely misunderstand the differences between legislative, judicial, and executive powers. To put it bluntly, a hearing is just a hearing. If a hearing confirms that the investigated party has violated the law, Congress will transfer the relevant materials and evidence to the Department of Justice, requesting the Department to investigate or prosecute. However, this is non-binding; the Department of Justice has independent discretion and may prosecute or not. Congressional hearings are a powerful oversight and information disclosure mechanism that can expose problems, promote legislation, and hold people accountable, but the judicial power to convict rests with the courts and prosecutors. Therefore, it is merely part of the US system of checks and balances, a tool for the legislature to check the executive branch, but not a "Congressional court." Its political factors are strong—the majority party controls the agenda, and the results often have a partisan flavor; actual criminal consequences depend on the independent Department of Justice to determine whether to proceed. As discussed in a previous tweet about whether Mahathir would be "purged": Without the cooperation of the executive branch, congressional hearings, inquiries, and investigations cannot be carried out; similarly, without the cooperation of the judiciary, congressional criminal charges cannot be brought to fruition.