Ben Affleck to Testify Before Senate as Congo Expert

You may not buy him as Batman, but will you accept Ben Affleck as a foreign policy expert?

The Dazed and Confused star is set to testify next week before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the Democratic Republic of Congo; Affleck has an aid organization devoted to the country, which has been beset by health problems and internal violence.

Not surprisingly, the actor’s appearance on the Hill has some detractors. Affleck had already been rejected as a witness for similar hearings in the GOP-controlled House of Representatives, and a Senate GOP aide took a swipe (anonymously, natch) at him: “People serious about resolving problems – especially problems related to life and death – want to have serious conversations with experts and leaders in the field; not celebrities.”

These objections could also be partisan-based. Affleck is a vocal Democrat, and was once considered as a potential candidate to replace Senator John Kerry (D-MA).

[h/t Foreign Policy]

[Image via Susan Walsh/AP/File]

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