MAGA Senator Ripped After Confusing Basketball Teams In Embarrassing Attempt To Link Jack Smith And Fani Willis During Senate Hearing

Missouri Republican Senator Eric Schmitt was widely mocked after confusing his basketball teams when he attempted to link former special counsel Jack Smith with Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis by claiming Smith went to an Atlanta Hawks game to collude with Willis about bringing charges against President Donald Trump.

During a Senate hearing on Tuesday, Schmitt accused Smith of perjury after repeatedly questioning him about whether he had attended an NBA game in Atlanta on Feb. 3, 2024. The Atlanta Hawks hosted the Golden State Warriors that evening.

The line of questioning appeared aimed at establishing whether Smith had been in Atlanta at a time when Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, was under scrutiny over her romantic relationship with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor she had appointed to oversee the county’s election-interference case against Trump.

Schmitt pressed Smith several times over whether "he was not in Atlanta" to see an Atlanta Hawks game on the day in question. Smith was noticeably confused and responded "I really don't think so" when asked if he had ever traveled to Atlanta during his time as special counsel.

At one point, Smith said:

"It's possible I flew through the Atlanta Airport on my way to Florida, but I do not have a recollection of going to Atlanta. I definitely did not go to a Hawks game. I'm sure of that."

Smith also said he never met with either Willis or Wade in Atlanta and appeared noticeably confused when Schmitt insisted he had text message exchanges showing he was at a Hawks game. An aide momentarily held up a board displaying the alleged messages, and Schmitt refused to provide a copy of the display so Smith could see them for himself. Schmitt said he believed Smith had "already perjured" himself and ignored critics during the proceeding.

Smith replied:

"If this is the correct basketball game, I recall going to a University of Maryland game where Caitlin Clark was playing right around that time and the marshal service was there with me, you could check if that was the correct game. It was Maryland playing Iowa, I think in February 2024. But again, you could check if if that's what we're talking about."

Minnesota Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar was next in line for questioning and she asked Schmitt:

“Could it then be that University of Iowa is the Hawkeyes? … That might be the confusion over the names of the team. ... That might be the confusion over the names of the team. But perhaps you should have looked at it more carefully.”

Schmitt was annoyed:

"Whose questioning is this? Are you using your time, Senator? Are we just having an open session here? I'm glad you're trying to rehabilitate the witness." ...

"I presented him with text messages about him wanting to meet with people that could've obviously been related to the prosecution that was coordinated with his office in Atlanta."

Klobuchar responded:

"I think you should have your facts straight before you accuse somebody of being a dirtbag." ...

“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 to 85. Iowa won, and Caitlin Clark scored over 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.”

You can watch what happened in the video below.

It was a deeply embarrassing affair and Schmitt was criticized after footage of the exchange went viral.

Funnily enough, news outlets recently reported that Schmitt is being considered as a potential vice presidential pick for Vice President JD Vance's possible run for president in 2028.

This hearing and his failed "gotcha" attempt could ultimately make his chances dead in the water.