I read through the MCC Interim Report, which was released late today. It contains little by way of information or conclusions, but is rather mostly a further reminder of the plans the Commissioners have for the future, and the design of the MCC proceedings. This report could easily have been entirely written before the proceedings started. The Commissioners are taking full ownership of the proceedings. First they talk about how it is an Inquisitorial process, which they are directing. Then, they make the (slightly misleading) point that they are independent of government. Whatever emerges from this process, they will not be able to credit or blame anyone else after the strongly-worded section where they discussed their role. One of the main takeaways from the report was that the Commissioners did not react in any way to criticisms that have been publicly leveled at them. The two months of secret meetings prior to the proceedings, which were heavily critiqued by lawyer for the participants, are here called an "effective collaborative mechanism". No complaints about the trauma-informed mandate, or the disorienting approach to the presentation of evidence is even mentioned.
