Sen. Eric Schmitt accused former special counsel Jack Smith of perjury after claiming he had texts placing Smith at a Warriors-Hawks game on Feb. 3, 2024. Smith said he had no memory of being in Atlanta and instead recalled attending a Maryland vs. Iowa college game where Caitlin Clark played. Schmitt briefly displayed a poster of alleged texts but removed it, and Sen. Amy Klobuchar urged careful fact-checking and gave Smith a chance to respond. The dispute highlights how factual mistakes can derail tense oversight hearings.
Basketball Mix-Up Derails Jack Smith Hearing After Perjury Accusation
Jack Smith gave his first public testimony on his investigations into Donald Trump on Jan. 22, 2026. During a break, a confrontation occurred between far-right political operative Ivan Raiklin (L) and former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone.(SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)
WASHINGTON — A Senate hearing on former special counsel Jack Smith's handling of investigations into former President Donald Trump was interrupted when Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., accused Smith of perjury based on what appears to have been a mistaken identification of a basketball game.
Hearing Exchange
On Sept. 29, Schmitt told Smith he had evidence suggesting Smith attended a professional game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks on Feb. 3, 2024 — a day after reporting about an alleged personal relationship involving Fulton County prosecutors surfaced. Schmitt said his staff had text messages that placed Smith at the game and briefly displayed a poster of purported texts before removing it within seconds.
Smith responded with visible confusion: "I have no recollection of that," he said, adding he did not remember visiting Atlanta while serving as special counsel other than possible airport transits. When pressed, Smith clarified he had not attended a Hawks game but recalled being at a University of Maryland vs. Iowa college game around that time, when then-college star Caitlin Clark was in her senior season for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Accusations and Pushback
Schmitt nonetheless accused Smith of having committed perjury and suggested Smith had "weaponized" the Justice Department in the cases involving Trump, at one point calling him "a total dirtbag." Senators from both parties reacted: Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., urged that Smith be given a fair chance to respond and pointed out that Schmitt may have confused a professional franchise with a college team.
"People should have their facts straight before they accuse someone of being a dirtbag, and not get the teams wrong," Klobuchar said.
Schmitt defended his line of questioning and said the alleged texts could be related to the Atlanta prosecution, though he did not offer a clear link during the hearing. Schmitt, a former college athlete who had helped advance a major college-athletics reform measure the night before, did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
Context
Smith led federal investigations that accused Trump of efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. Separate Fulton County prosecutors pursued a state case alleging a conspiracy to replace Georgia's presidential electors. Prosecutors in those Georgia and federal cases ultimately dropped their prosecutions after Trump's 2024 election victory.
The exchange underscored how factual errors and partisan confrontations can derail congressional oversight, and highlighted the importance of careful evidence presentation in high-stakes hearings.
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith testifies during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
A US Capitol Police officer intervenes as far-right political operative Ivan Raiklin (L) confronts former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone (R) held by Former US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn (2R), during a break in testimony by former US special counsel Jack Smith before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 22, 2026.(SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)
Former Metropolitan Police officer Daniel Hodges, (L) and former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone (R) watch as former Special Counsel Jack Smith leaves at the conclusion of his testimony at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith (L) leaves at the conclusion of his testimony at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
A US Capitol Police officer intervenes as far-right political operative Ivan Raiklin (L) confronts former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone (R), steered away by former US Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn (2R), during a break in testimony by former US special counsel Jack Smith before the House Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 22, 2026.(SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)
Ivan Raiklin (C) confronts former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone (2nd L) and former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn (L) during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
Ivan Raiklin (L) confronts former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone during a recess in the testimony of Special Counsel Jack Smith at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Alex Wong, Getty Images)
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith shakes hands with former U.S. Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell as he leaves at the conclusion of his testimony at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
Former US special counsel Jack Smith shakes hands with Former US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn (L) after testifying before the House Judiciary Committee about his investigations into President Donald Trump, in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, 2026.(SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)
Ivan Raiklin (L) confronts former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone during a recess in the testimony of Special Counsel Jack Smith at a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Alex Wong, Getty Images)
Ivan Raiklin confronts former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
Former Metropolitan Police Department officer Michael Fanone (C) and Former Capitol Police officer Harry Dunn are escorted from a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee following a confrontation with Ivan Raiklin in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
Former US special counsel Jack Smith steps down for a break as he testifies before the House Judiciary Committee about his investigations into President Donald Trump, in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 22, 2026.(SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith says the Pledge of Allegiance before he prepares to testify during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Al Drago, Getty Images)
(L-R) Former US Capitol Police Officer Harry Dunn, Metropolitan Police Department Officer Daniel Hodges, Retired US Capitol Police officer Aquilino Gonel and Former officer with the Metropolitan Police Department of the District of Columbia Michael Fanone attend a hearing of Former US special counsel Jack Smith before the House Judiciary Committee about his investigations into President Donald Trump, in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 22, 2026. Former special counsel Jack Smith defended his prosecution of Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of engaging in a "criminal scheme" to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.(SAUL LOEB, AFP via Getty Images)
Former Special Counsel Jack Smith arrives to testify during a hearing before the House Judiciary Committee in the Rayburn House Office Building on Capitol Hill on Jan. 22, 2026 in Washington, D.C. Smith testified on his team's federal criminal investigations into President Donald Trump which included 2020 election interference and classified documents.(Alex Wong, Getty Images)
An aide holds a placard as U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with former special counsel at the Justice Department Jack Smith, in Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, September 29, 2026.
Former special counsel Jack Smith appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee for a second time as Republicans question his investigation into Donald Trump on Sept. 29, 2026.
US senators Eric Schmitt (R-MO) and John Kennedy (R-LA) during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with former special counsel at the Justice Department Jack Smith, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., US, September 29, 2026.
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