How would you interpret ‘professionals’ here? “Mrs. Brown does her best to keep me out of trouble,” I said. “She claims my ideology is transparent. But no criminal record as yet.” “Who needs crimes? The INS has a stable of witnesses, professionals. Very well paid, very talented, they can produce a testimony for any occasion. If a man is not a Communist, they’ll prove he is. If he is, they can get him booked for ‘creating confusion and hysteria,’ to hold him until CP membership becomes illegal.” How would you interpret ‘professionals’ in the second sentence of the second passage? Does it mean the INS has a group of witness who are professionals? OR does it mean the INS has a group of witness and professionals? Thanks! And this excerpt is taken from The Lacuna by Kingsolver.