Some of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s fiercest former foes are stepping up to help him prepare for what’s expected to be an aggressive attack at a U.S. House Oversight Committee hearing on the city’s sanctuary status in Washington, D.C., next week.

Former Mayors Rahm Emanuel and Lori Lightfoot are among those advising Johnson on how to handle questioning from some of Congress’s most outspoken, far-right representatives at the hearing that many view as political theater in a crusade against Democratic policies.

Johnson has pulled no punches against Lightfoot or Emanuel in the past, nor Lightfoot against Johnson. All three of them represent different points on the Democratic political spectrum.

But everyone involved appears to be putting local rivalries aside to strike a supportive tone as the city prepares for the main stage.

“There’s a very small club of mayors, and all of them, no matter their disagreements, all of them love this city,” Johnson senior adviser Jason Lee said in an interview with WBEZ Friday. “And when the city is under the microscope or under attack in any way, it’s not a surprise that they would respond when called upon to support that.”

Lightfoot, who is meeting with Johnson on Saturday, echoed that sentiment in a statement to WBEZ.

“When Chicago leaders are given a national platform, it’s important to combat the cynical and false narratives about our city,” she said. “Anything I can do to help push back against the Trump Republicans and right wing media to tell the true story of this great city, I will do. I look forward to talking with Mayor Johnson.”

Johnson is set to appear March 5 before the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform to defend the city’s law that, in part, restricts police from detaining people solely based on their immigration status — a policy that has been in place, first by executive order, since 1985 .

The hearing will feature five-minute opening statements from the chair, ranking member and each witness, followed by five-minute rounds of questioning from each of the members present, according to a spokesperson of a committee member.

The committee — made up of 26 Republicans and 21 Democrats — features some of the House of Representatives’ most well-known and controversial firebrands, from Republican Reps. Jim Jordan, Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert to Democratic Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Jasmine Crockett.

The call between Emanuel and Johnson this week was one-on-one and lasted about 30 to 45 minutes, Lee said. He did not share what advice Emanuel gave to Johnson but noted Emanuel has significant experience on Capitol Hill, having served in Congress and as chief of staff to former President Barack Obama before becoming mayor in 2011.

“He has a lot of experience navigating D.C. and understands the goals and orientation of the Republicans on the Oversight Committee and what they’re attempting to do, and so, he’s got some ideas on how to navigate those challenges,” Lee said.

As for Lightfoot, Lee called Johnson’s former mayoral opponent and ire of the Chicago Teachers Union, the union that helped elect him, a “brilliant legal mind.”

“Lori Lightfoot obviously, in addition to being mayor, is an extraordinary lawyer — brilliant legal mind — who has argued many cases and has inside wisdom into how to deal with aggressive panels,” Lee said.

It’s not the first time Johnson has spoken to his predecessors since taking office. He met with Emanuel in the summer of 2023 in a meeting that featured advice on how and when to use profanity. He met with Lightfoot during the transition of power on the fifth floor of City Hall, when he took office. But this may be the first time Johnson has reached out for specific advice on how to navigate a great responsibility of his mayorship.

Johnson also plans to meet with Arne Duncan, a civic leader in Chicago, former CEO of Chicago Public Schools and former U.S. Secretary of Education, who has also been a pointed target of the CTU in the past.

Duncan’s adviser, Peter Cunningham, said Duncan “always believes in highlighting where our interests converge instead of where they diverge,” and that Duncan and the mayor speak regularly.

“We want to see the mayor succeed and represent the city well,” Cunningham said. Duncan has testified before Congress on multiple occasions and will advise Johnson on how to handle that pressure, Cunningham said.

Johnson also sought advice Thursday evening from a group of community organizers, including civil rights attorneys and immigration advocates. Lee did not name the groups involved but said they want to see Johnson fight for federal resources while defending against attacks.

The unlikely cast of characters banding together to support Johnson could be one indicator of how the hearing might be a political boon. In the face of personal attacks, Johnson may appear sympathetic to his critics, and a strong performance may score him points back home.

But Delmarie Cobb, a veteran Democratic political strategist, said the risk is that if he isn’t well-prepared, “he could lose a lot of ground and credibility,” and that future mayoral contenders will be watching with a close eye.

“If he blows his nose, they’re gonna be watching him to see how he did it, because they’re looking for any opening they can get,” she said. “We’re in that season right now that now everybody is trying to figure out their next steps and what they can do to make Johnson look bad.”

Cobb advised Johnson to be calm and on message, to not engage in a shouting match and to come prepared with facts.

Lee said to expect just that. Johnson’s demeanor will be “dignified, respectful, calm,” he said. He argued Chicago mayors are “uniquely equipped” to deal with personal attacks, given the city’s rough-and-tumble political landscape.

“The tenor and tone of Chicago politics is legendary,” Lee said. “I think it was Harold Washington who said, ‘Politics ain’t beanbag.’ So, I think Brandon Johnson is certainly more than prepared to deal with what may come.”

Lee said while Republican governors who’ve made Chicago a target have worked to sow “misunderstanding” about Chicago’s sanctuary laws, the hearing is an opportunity to reshape public opinion about what the policy does and doesn’t do.

For instance, while the city’s sanctuary law prevents Chicago police from asking someone for their immigration status or holding someone beyond their release date without a warrant to give ICE time to arrive, it does not allow police officers to impede enforcement officials from carrying out an arrest warrant.

The Chicago Police Department speaks regularly with Immigration and Customs Enforcement when they are carrying out deportations here, Police Superintendent Larry Snelling said at a news conference in January.

Johnson will work to highlight these nuances in his testimony, Lee said.

But it remains to be seen whether a current lawsuit by the Trump administration against the city will limit what Johnson or the city’s attorney, Mary Richardson-Lowry, believe he can say at the hearing.

The lawsuit aims to invalidate portions of both local and state protections and argues that the laws are “deliberately impeding” federal immigration enforcement.

“Certainly it’s a consideration,” Lee said. “Of the four mayors, he’s the only one being sued by the Department of Justice over these same issues. There’s also legislation being proposed in Congress that would recall funding from sanctuary cities so there are certain legal and policy implications around the subject matter that factors into this testimony.”

Johnson is expected to appear alongside Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. Adams has worked to curry favor with Trump and refrain from criticizing him ; after meeting with border czar Tom Homan, Adams said he would roll back New York City’s sanctuary city law to allow ICE agents on Rikers Island, a jail facility. Earlier this month, Trump’s Department of Justice ordered federal prosecutors to drop corruption charges against Adams.