Stories hyping the January 6 commission hearings, set to begin Thursday on prime-time television, as a “political cudgel” could backfire on House Democrats, a top party adviser warned.

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) is promising bombshell new revelations, the panel has hired a former ABC television producer to quarterback the made-for-TV event, and committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is lobbying members to use the findings to change the way presidents are elected. But David Axelrod, once a top adviser to former President Obama, said Democrats should stick to presenting the facts and let the public decide.

“If I were a member of the 1/6 committee, stories like these, casting the hearings as a political cudgel, would make me very unhappy,” Axelrod wrote. “Conversely, Rs, who hope to dismiss damning findings as partisan, will seize on them. Let facts speak for themselves.”