Republican Senator Eric Schmitt faced public embarrassment during a high-profile congressional hearing involving former special counsel Jack Smith. The prominent Donald Trump ally attempted to question Smith regarding his whereabouts in February 2024 to imply a connection with Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis.
Schmitt asserted that Smith had attended an Atlanta Hawks professional basketball game. This claim was designed to establish a controversial narrative about the former special counsel's movements and potential political biases during ongoing legal battles.
Investigative reporting quickly revealed that Schmitt's factual premise was entirely incorrect. Smith had actually attended a University of Maryland women’s basketball game against the Iowa Hawkeyes in College Park on that specific date.