Senator Schmitt's Baseless Perjury Accusation Against Jack Smith Unravels Amid Sports Blunder
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In a telling display of right-wing incompetence, Sen. Eric Schmitt attempted to smear former special counsel Jack Smith with a false perjury allegation, only to be exposed by his own ignorance of basic facts during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., in a desperate attempt to undermine former special counsel Jack Smith’s investigations into Donald Trump, recklessly accused Smith of perjury by claiming he attended an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 3, 2024. Smith, maintaining his composure in the face of this baseless attack, calmly clarified that he had not attended such a game and was unsure if he had even been in Atlanta that day. Schmitt, undeterred by facts, insisted he had text messages proving Smith’s presence at a 'Warrior-Hawks' game, but conveniently, the so-called evidence was removed before Smith could even see it.
'I do not believe so,' Smith replied, adding, 'I definitely did not go to a Hawks game. I’m sure of that.'
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., stepped in to restore sanity to the proceedings, pointing out that the only basketball game Smith attended on that date was a University of Maryland versus Iowa Hawkeyes matchup, held in Maryland—not Atlanta. She provided the actual details: a 93-85 Iowa victory, with Caitlin Clark scoring 30 points.
'We have confirmed that, in fact, you are right, Mr. Smith. Iowa, the Iowa Hawkeyes, played Maryland on Feb. 3, 2024. The final score was 93-85. Iowa won, and Caitlin Clark scored 30 points,' Klobuchar said.
Klobuchar rightly condemned Schmitt for conflating the Hawks and Hawkeyes and for using this manufactured confusion to insinuate wrongdoing. Schmitt, refusing to take responsibility for his error, declined to apologize and deflected by saying the matter would be left to prosecutors. While some conservative voices tried to spin the exchange as a victory, the reality is that Schmitt’s fact-free grandstanding only highlighted the reckless tactics used by the right to attack those investigating Trump.