Eric Schmitt skips C-SPAN appearance after failed Jack Smith gotcha over Hawks vs Hawkeyes

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Missouri Republican Senator Eric Schmitt skipped a scheduled television appearance just hours after a failed attempt to discredit former Special Counsel Jack Smith during a contentious Senate hearing on Tuesday.

The hearing focused on the Atlanta-based criminal investigation into President Donald Trump, led by Georgia prosecutor Fani Willis. Schmitt grilled Smith about attending a basketball game in Atlanta on Feb. 3, 2024, between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks.

Schmitt aimed to place Smith at the game amid the drama surrounding the Trump investigation. But Smith did attend a basketball game that day, just not the NBA game in Atlanta.

Smith was watching the Maryland Terrapins women's basketball team play the Iowa Hawkeyes, led by star player Caitlin Clark, over 500 miles away in College Park, Maryland. The mix-up between the Hawks and Hawkeyes became a point of embarrassment for Schmitt, who had sought to challenge Smith's credibility.

After the hearing, TMZ D.C. reporter Charlie Cotton confronted Schmitt outside the Capitol. Cotton asked about getting it wrong during the hearing by confusing the Hawks with the Hawkeyes.

Schmitt defended himself, saying, Well, I don't think about it that way. I asked him if he was at a basketball game that night. The only NBA game that was going on that night was in Atlanta. So, I asked him if he was there.

Schmitt, seen as a potential running mate for JD Vance in the 2028 presidential election, insisted that Smith is not credible. He told Cotton, He gave his answer, and I guess that's his answer.

When pressed about the apparent gotcha attempt, Schmitt maintained that he simply asked questions and that Smith answered. Cotton asked how the mistake happened, but Schmitt denied it was a mistake.

The reporter also asked if anyone would be held accountable for the flawed information. Schmitt replied that he asked a question and received an answer.

Cotton pointed out that video from the Hawkeyes game, posted by MeidasTouch, shows Smith in the audience. Schmitt responded that Smith was at the Hawkeyes game and reiterated that he only asked if Smith was in Atlanta.

In a CNN interview on Tuesday, Schmitt tried to downplay the humiliation. He said, We had information he was at a basketball game. There was only one NBA game that night, at 7:30 tip-off, which is why I asked him if he was in Atlanta.

He added, He answered the question. That's what these hearings are for. You ask questions, you get answers. Schmitt also said, Smith has perjured himself before, but he says he's at the game. Maybe he's a Caitlin Clark fan. We'll accept that.

Schmitt also posted a cringe comeback on X: Who knew Jack Smith was a Caitlin Clark fan? X users added context about Schmitt's gender mix-up.

Caitlin Clark has become part of a racially charged MAGA culture war, despite condemning racist and misogynistic comments.

Since the flub, Schmitt has projected an image of someone unfettered by an honest mistake. But his last-minute schedule change suggests otherwise.

Dasha Burns, host of Ceasefire on C-SPAN, explained in a preview of Friday's edition of the program that Schmitt bailed on the program a day after his botched hearing with Smith.

Burns, who also works for Politico, said, Now, we should mention that Sen. Schmitt was supposed to appear on this program with Sen. Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware, but he pulled out a day after that hearing.

Instead, Burns will be joined by Democratic attorney Bob Bauer and Republican attorney Ben Ginsberg to discuss legal battles surrounding voting rights and election administration, plus Democratic strategist Joel Payne and Republican strategist Doug Heye.

Schmitt tried and failed to catch former Special Counsel Jack Smith in a perjury trap during the hearing. The failed gotcha attempt has raised questions about Schmitt's judgment and his use of flawed information.

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Eric Schmitt Jack Smith Senate Hearing Fani Willis Caitlin Clark C-SPAN Atlanta Hawks

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