A Republican senator’s big “gotcha” moment instantly fell apart in a hearing with former special counsel Jack Smith Tuesday.
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) asked the former prosecutor whether he had attended an Atlanta Hawks-Golden State Warriors game in Georgia the day after an affair was revealed between Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis and one of her lead prosecutors, suggesting some coordination between two investigations of Donald Trump.
But Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) quickly determined that her GOP colleague didn’t have his facts straight, and Smith agreed under her questioning that he had not gone to an NBA game in February 2024 — but had instead gone to see the Iowa Hawkeyes women’s basketball team play the Maryland Terrapins.
“I wanted to end with this, Mr. Chairman, since it involves your state,” Klobuchar told Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) as her time expired. “We have confirmed that, in fact, you were right, Mr. Smith. Iowa, the Iowa Hawkeyes played Maryland on Feb. 3d, 2024. The final score was 93-to-85. Iowa won and Caitlin Clark scored over scored 30 points, so it must have been a pretty good game.
“The game was, in fact, in Maryland, Mr. Smith, and I would just say for a U.S. senator to have false information and imply, based on a confusion about the name of a team, which I knew, knowing my midwestern sports, and imply that you were in another city, that you were somehow involved that day in what was happening in Georgia and then call you a dirtbag is something that deserves an apology,” Klobuchar added. “Thank you, Mr. Smith.”
Critics wheezed with laughter at Schmitt’s flop.
“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH. HAHAHAHAHAH,” wheezed legal analyst Marcy Wheeler. “Eric Schmitt just accused Jack Smith of lying about going to an Atlanta Hawk’s basketball game. Smith went to see the Iowa Hawkeyes.”
“Pretty big apparent misfire from GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt at today’s Jack Smith hearing,” observed CNN’s Aaron Blake. “Schmitt basically constructed a conspiracy theory about how Jack Smith was in Atlanta when Fani Willis’s affair was revealed, saying Smith had attended an Atlanta Hawks game. Smith had no idea what he was talking about. After the text messages Schmitt’s theory was based on were shown, Smith said it was a game between the U of Maryland and Iowa HAWKeyes — in Maryland — not the Atlanta HAWKS.”
“A completely humiliating moment for Sen. Schmitt just now,” winced The Bulwark’s Sam Stein. “He accused Jack Smith of attending an Atlanta Hawks game as cover to be in Atlanta to meet with Fani Willis. He then accused him of perjury for saying he didn’t recall being at the game. He flashed text messages to prove he had Smith dead to rights (the text didn’t really address it — you can see them here). He called him a ‘dirtbag’ as the cherry on top. Only later did Smith note he had gone to an Iowa Hawkeyes game. Smith confused Hawks with Hawkeyes.”
“Schmitt beclowns himself,” agreed journalist Aaron Rupar.
“Sen. Amy Klobuchar just confirmed: Iowa played Maryland in College Park, MD,” noted MS NOW’s Kyle Griffin. “That’s the basketball game Jack Smith seems to have attended. Atlanta was not involved. Republican Eric Schmitt claimed Smith went to a game in Atlanta so he could also meet with Fani Willis’ team. It appears Schmitt lied.”
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