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Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) defended his questioning during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where he incorrectly suggested former special counsel Jack Smith was at an Atlanta Hawks game on February 3, 2024, instead of a University of Iowa women’s basketball game in Maryland. Despite confusion over the basketball teams and venues, Schmitt insisted there was no mistake in asking about Smith's presence in Atlanta. Democrats like Sen. Amy Klobuchar criticized Schmitt for accusing Smith of perjury based on incorrect information and calling him a "dirtbag." The exchange highlighted tensions around Republicans' concerns that federal investigations may have coordinated with state prosecutors in Georgia.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-09-30,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Tuesday, former special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee chaired by Senator Chuck Grassley to defend his two criminal investigations into President Donald Trump. Republicans accuse Smith of abusing authority and politically targeting Republicans, while Democrats support him for standing up against Trump's alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election results and mishandling classified documents. The hearing, titled "Oversight of Jack Smith’s Abuse of Authority and the Targeting of Republicans," also involves scrutiny over subpoenas issued by Smith's office, which were aimed at disrupting certification of Joe Biden's victory in 2020, ultimately leading to the Jan. 6 Capitol attack. Smith has insisted his decisions were made without political bias and said he would not be silenced despite threats from Trump's Justice Department.
Written for “Jack Smith Testifies Before Senate” on 2026-10-04,
grounded in this article and the 34 other(s) covering the same event.
Claims extracted
21
claim-shaped sentences
Uncertain
10%
2 of 21 hedged
Leaning
Leans right
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Correction & hedging signals
72.3
corrections and hedging in what we collected;
not a measure of accuracy
Outlets on this story
35
Politics
Narrative spread
1
articles carrying this framing
Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) said he made no mistake when he tried to place former special counsel Jack Smith in Atlanta during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, rejecting the idea that he mixed up an NBA game and a college women’s basketball game.
asserted
he → say → game
During the hearing on Tuesday, Schmitt told Smith he had “a series of text messages” that place him at a “Hawks” game on Feb. 3, 2024.
asserted
that → tell → Feb.
Schmitt suggested the reference meant an Atlanta Hawks NBA game and questioned whether Smith had traveled to Georgia to meet with then-Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
uncertain
Smith → suggest → Willis
The attempt fell flat when Smith said the basketball game he recalled attending featured Caitlin Clark in Maryland, not an NBA game in Georgia.
asserted
he → fall → Georgia
Schmitt appeared to have mixed up the Atlanta Hawks NBA team and the University of Iowa’s women’s basketball team, the Hawkeyes.
asserted
Schmitt → appear → Iowa
Schmitt was asked about the exchange following the hearing by TMZ but dismissed the idea that he made a mistake with his line of questioning.
asserted
he → ask → questioning
“There’s not a mistake,” Schmitt said.
asserted
Schmitt → ’ → ?
“I asked him if he was in Atlanta.
asserted
he → ask → Atlanta
The only NBA game going on, actually the only NCAA men’s game or NBA game with a 7:30 tipoff was in Atlanta.
asserted
game → go → Atlanta
So I asked him if he was in Atlanta that night.”
asserted
he → ask → Atlanta
When asked by CNN about the same exchange, Schmitt joked, “Who knew Jack Smith was a Caitlin Clark fan?”
asserted
Smith → ask → exchange
Atlanta Hawks hosted the Golden State Warriors at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3, while Iowa played the University of Maryland in College Park at 8 p.m. Smith said Department of Justice records could corroborate his attendance at the Iowa-Maryland game.
The senator from Missouri had cautioned Smith of perjuring himself when asking about the basketball game.
uncertain
senator → host → game
Schmitt concluded his questioning about the former counsel’s whereabouts on Feb. 3 by calling Smith a “total dirtbag.”
asserted
Schmitt → conclude → Smith
The distinction became a point of contention during the hearing.
asserted
distinction → become → hearing
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) accused Schmitt of relying on false information to suggest Smith had secretly traveled to Atlanta, saying Schmitt had mixed up the Hawks and Hawkeyes.
asserted
Schmitt → accuse → Hawks
Klobuchar also addressed Schmitt’s flub after the hearing.
asserted
Klobuchar → address → hearing
“He accused Jack Smith of perjury in the moment and said, ‘Don’t perjure yourself.’
asserted
He → accuse → yourself
And then he ended his questions by calling him a dirtbag,” Klobuchar said.
asserted
Klobuchar → end → him
So my point was, don’t call someone a dirtbag when you don’t have your own facts right.”
asserted
facts → call → someone
The questioning was tied to broader Republican scrutiny of whether Smith’s federal investigation coordinated with Willis’s separate prosecution of President Donald Trump.
asserted
investigation → tie → Trump
Smith testified that he did not meet with Willis or Nathan Wade, the prosecutor who led the Georgia racketeering case against Trump.
asserted
who → testify → Trump
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