Senator Schmitt's inquiry into Jack Smith's basketball attendance draws criticism

Senator Eric Schmitt raised questions about former special counsel Jack Smith's location on Feb. 3, 2024, during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, suggesting the prosecutor had lied about attending an Atlanta Hawks game. The senator presented text messages that he said indicated Smith was in Georgia that night.

Video evidence later showed Smith seated at an Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball game in Maryland, roughly 550 miles from Atlanta. The messages displayed on posters did not mention a specific team or venue, and a review of the texts revealed that Schmitt's staff had focused only on NBA schedules, overlooking women's college basketball games that were also being played.

According to a report, the texts exchanged by Smith's staff on the day of the game discussed seat assignments and logistics, without referencing the Hawks or the location. One message from JP Cooney, then-deputy to Smith, noted a seat in Row 109 and a plan to meet at halftime.

A source told a local news outlet that Schmitt had been warned his staff had not fully vetted the communications. A simple online search would have shown that the cited seat number does not exist at State Farm Arena, the Hawks' home venue.

Further review of the messages, spanning July 2023 to May 2024, showed a later reference to Caitlin Clark, a star player for the Iowa Hawkeyes, in a March 2024 email from prosecutor David Harbach. Schmitt's office said the senator had not seen those particular texts, which is why he asked about the game Smith attended.

The episode has also affected Schmitt's general counsel, Ethan Harper, who had been slated to move to a White House staff position. Sources indicated that the planned transition is now uncertain, though no direct link between Harper's duties and the questioning has been established.