A MAGA senator faced mockery in Congress after confusing an NBA team with a college squad during a tense hearing with Jack Smith.
WASHINGTON — A contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing involving former special counsel Jack Smith took an unexpected turn after Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri challenged Smith over an alleged trip to an Atlanta Hawks basketball game. The confrontation, intended to raise questions about Smith’s conduct during his investigations of President Donald Trump, quickly became a widely discussed moment after a possible mix-up between two basketball teams undermined the senator’s claim.
During the September 29, 2026, hearing, Schmitt questioned whether Smith had attended an NBA game in Atlanta in February 2024. He suggested the trip might have provided an opportunity for Smith to meet with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was leading a separate Georgia prosecution involving Trump’s efforts to challenge the 2020 presidential election results.
Schmitt presented what he described as text messages from members of Smith’s team and pressed the former special counsel about his whereabouts. But Smith denied attending an Atlanta Hawks game and offered a different explanation: he recalled attending a women’s college basketball game featuring the University of Iowa and the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland.