Sen. Eric Schmitt's Attempt to Trap Jack Smith in Perjury Was Baseless and Politically Motivated
Source: Shirin Ali. "Watch Republican Eric Schmitt's mortifying attempt to trap Jack Smith in perjury.." September 29, 2026. slate.com
The Gist
A Republican senator tried to accuse former special counsel Jack Smith of lying under oath by claiming he attended a specific basketball game, but the senator got the team names mixed up (Atlanta Hawks vs. Iowa Hawkeyes) and had no real evidence. Even after being publicly corrected, the senator refused to apologize, which the author sees as part of a bigger pattern of Republicans in Congress trying to politically persecute people who investigated Trump.
Conclusion
Sen. Eric Schmitt's attempt to accuse Jack Smith of perjury based on an alleged Atlanta Hawks game appearance was factually baseless, embarrassing, and represents a broader pattern of Republican weaponization of congressional hearings to persecute Trump's perceived enemies.
Premises
- Schmitt claimed Smith attended an Atlanta Hawks NBA game on Feb. 3, 2024, implying collusion with Fani Willis, but this was factually false.
- Smith actually attended a University of Maryland vs. Iowa Hawkeyes women's college basketball game, not an Atlanta Hawks NBA game—a confusion of team names (Hawks vs. Hawkeyes).
- Schmitt refused to let Smith view the text messages he claimed as evidence, and had his staff quickly remove the poster board before it could be read, suggesting a lack of confidence in or fabrication of the evidence.
- Despite being corrected by Sen. Klobuchar and having his staff confirm the error, Schmitt refused to apologize and continued to push the false claim on The Charlie Kirk Show afterward.
- This incident fits a broader pattern of Trump and Republican allies pursuing vindictive prosecutions against perceived enemies (citing Letitia James, James Comey) despite failed cases.
- Schmitt has a documented history of promoting conspiracy theories, including white nationalist ones, suggesting a pattern of reckless or bad-faith public claims.
Assumptions
- Public officials should be held to a standard of factual accuracy before making serious accusations like perjury in official proceedings.
- The refusal to apologize after being proven wrong indicates bad faith rather than mere error.
- Congressional hearings should be used for genuine oversight rather than political theater or persecution.
- Schmitt's actions were motivated by loyalty to Trump rather than genuine belief in the accusations.
- The confusion between two similarly named sports teams (Hawks/Hawkeyes) is evidence of Schmitt's negligence rather than an honest mistake made in good faith.