Senator Schmitt's perjury question to Jack Smith derailed by sports mix-up
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Eric Schmitt mistakenly referenced an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks, prompting former special counsel Jack Smith to clarify he had attended a college basketball game between Maryland and Iowa.
Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., asked former special counsel Jack Smith whether he had been at an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 3, 2024, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Smith’s investigations into President Donald Trump. Smith responded that he had not attended such a game and was unsure he had been in Atlanta that day. Schmitt then suggested he possessed text messages showing Smith in Atlanta at a "Warrior-Hawks" game, but the evidence was removed before Smith could review it.
"I do not believe so," Smith said, adding, "I definitely did not go to a Hawks game. I’m sure of that."
Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., followed up by noting that the only basketball game Smith recalled attending on that date was a University of Maryland versus Iowa Hawkeyes matchup, which took place in Maryland, not Atlanta. She confirmed the game’s details, including a 93-85 Iowa victory and a 30-point performance by Caitlin Clark.
"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 criticized Schmitt for conflating the Hawks and Hawkeyes and for implying wrongdoing based on the error. Schmitt declined to apologize and said the matter would be left to prosecutors. The exchange drew praise from some conservative commentators, while others highlighted the factual mistake in Schmitt’s line of questioning.