Ben Affleck to be at Capitol Wednesday

Ben Affleck is headed to Capitol Hill on Wednesday, where he
won’t be talking movies — or even the Iran hostage crisis — but will be discussing the
situation in the Congo.

The star of “Good Will Hunting” and “Argo” is also the
founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, a humanitarian group that provides
funding for local leaders and organizations in the eastern Congo.

Affleck is testifying before the House Armed Services
Committee on Wednesday at a hearing on the “evolving security situation in the
Democratic Republic of the Congo and the implications for U.S. security.”

The hearing will have two panels, with Affleck appearing
alongside Carnegie Mellon professor Jendayi Frazer and James Jay Carafano of
the Heritage Foundation and the Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Institute for
International Studies.

{mosads}The first panel of witnesses are from the Obama
administration: Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security
Affairs Derek Chollet and Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of
African Affairs Johnnie Carson.

Affleck appeared in November on ABC’s “This Week” to
talk about his organization’s work in the Congo.

It’s quite possible the seed was planted for him to testify
before the Armed Services Committee during that appearance — because he did the
interview alongside the panel’s ranking member Adam Smith (D-Wash.).