Johnston weighs defending Denver's immigration policies in D.C.

State of play: Johnston's team is in talks with the U.S. House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to clarify the "parameters" and "purpose" of the hearing, he told reporters last week.

• He wants assurances that his testimony would "add value" and be "useful" to Denver residents.

What they're saying: "If I know anything about Mike Johnston, it's that he's very good on his feet, and I think he could handle a few amateur Republican Congress people," independent political commentator Eric Sondermann said last week on PBS12's "Colorado Inside Out."

• Former Democratic state lawmaker Penfield Tate agreed and suggested the hearing would allow Johnston to call out Congress for failing to pass immigration reform while highlighting how Denver has managed the fallout.

The other side: "Those hearings are dog and pony shows," conservative columnist Krista Kafer said on "CIO."

The big picture: The House committee also invited the mayors of Boston, Chicago and New York City to testify as part of an investigation into whether sanctuary city policies are disrupting federal immigration enforcement.

• As of Monday, Boston's mayor was the only one to agree to testify, but she asked for more time as she recovers after giving birth last month.

What's next: The committee has set a deadline of Tuesday for Johnston's response, and it's unclear whether he will be subpoenaed to testify on Feb. 11.

Editor's note: This story has been corrected to reflect that the committee did set a deadline for Johnston's response.