The ominous 3-word warning everyone missed in the chaotic Jack Smith hearing
Schmitt accused Smith of lying about his whereabouts, but the article says Schmitt had the teams and cities wrong.

SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYAlternet is an opinion-oriented publisher, and this article is explicitly argumentative rather than a straight report. The named author and attributed hearing statements provide some transparency, but the highly partisan framing limits confidence in the publisher as a neutral reporting source.
- Source type — Opinion publisher and an openly argumentative article; lower prior for neutral institutional reporting.
- Editorial standards — The article's polemical framing gives limited evidence of separation between commentary and reporting.
- Author attribution — A named author is identified.
- Transparency — The piece identifies the hearing and quotes testimony, but provides little reporting methodology or independent sourcing.
The article cites and quotes statements made during the hearing, but it is strongly opinionated, relies heavily on the author's interpretation, and offers little meaningful presentation of competing perspectives or independent corroboration.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article advances a clear argument against Republicans and gives little space to their rationale or responses beyond a few quoted remarks. The evaluative language further reduces balance.
- Counterarguments presented — Republican criticism of Smith is mentioned, but not examined or answered with substantial context from its proponents.
- Loaded language — Frequent derisive and approving terms signal a strongly evaluative viewpoint.
- Opinion vs reporting — The article is commentary, with interpretation and argument central to the presentation.
- Source diversity — The piece largely relies on the author's account and selected hearing remarks.
The article uses strongly critical language about Republicans and Schmitt while portraying Smith favorably. Its framing and selection of judgments consistently advance an anti-Republican perspective.
- Language tone — Uses pejorative descriptions of Schmitt and Republicans and praises Smith's conduct.
- Framing — Presents the hearing as a political failure for Republicans and a service to the country by Smith.
- Source selection — Emphasizes Democratic criticism and Smith's account, with little space for Republican explanations.
Michael Signorile argues that a Senate hearing with former special counsel Jack Smith was politically damaging for Republicans, highlighting Senator Eric Schmitt’s mistaken accusation and Smith’s defense of his investigation.
Signorile describes Schmitt’s questioning of Smith about Smith’s whereabouts during a 2024 basketball game, arguing that Schmitt confused the location and teams and wrongly suggested Smith had lied. He also notes Senator Amy Klobuchar’s criticism of Schmitt and Senator Ted Cruz’s accusation that Smith weaponized the Justice Department.
Smith told senators that his investigation developed proof that President Trump engaged in serious crimes and sought to overturn the 2020 election. Signorile argues that Smith’s testimony, including his explanation that investigators obtained phone metadata and his comments on the rule of law, could hurt Republicans politically.
Community verdict
2 VOTESPeople in this story
SWIPE →Senator who criticized Schmitt during the hearing
President whose conduct and the investigation into it were discussed at the hearing
South Carolina senator who questioned Smith about her brother's phone records
Vice President mentioned as a potential 2028 presidential candidate
Senator seated beside Schmitt during the hearing
Senator who criticized Smith's investigation at the hearing
Part of a bigger story
21 OUTLETSAt a Senate Judiciary hearing, Eric Schmitt questioned Jack Smith over whether Smith had attended an Atlanta Hawks game. The exchange turned on a mix-up with an Iowa Hawkeyes game Smith said he attended. Left-leaning outlets treat the mix-up as a failed political gotcha and, in some coverage, part of a broader Republican effort to target Smith. Center outlets likewise stress the error and its fallout for Schmitt, with some highlighting the exchange’s viral reactions. Right-leaning outlets also emphasize the accusation’s collapse, with attention to Katie Britt’s viral reaction and, in one column, Schmitt’s political ambitions.
- ARTICLES
- 39
- OUTLETS
- 21
- AVG CRED
- 68
- RadarOnline · Jimmy Kimmel Roasts 'Dumb' Sen. Eric Schmitt After He Accidentally Exposed Jack Smith as a Caitlin Clark Fan in Attempted Takedown
- The New Republic · Eric Schmitt’s a Joke. The Assaults on Jack Smith Are Anything But.
- Yahoo News · GOP Senator's Atlanta Hawks, Iowa Hawkeyes Mix-Up Backfires On Attempt To Catch Jack Smith In A Lie Tied To Fani Willis
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