GOP senator airballs perjury claim against Jack Smith over apparent Hawks/Hawkeyes mix-up
Schmitt accused Jack Smith of perjury over an apparent mix-up between an Atlanta Hawks game and an Iowa Hawkeyes game.
SOURCE CHECK
TAP FOR WHYNBC News is an established national newsroom, and its strong site rating supports a high institutional credibility score. This page identifies its reporter and describes a public hearing, while providing limited independent detail about the text messages Schmitt cited.
- Track record — The site's rating of 86 across 72 stories indicates a strong record.
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- Source type — National news outlet; no visible indication this is reproduced material.
The article gives accounts and quotations from the hearing, includes Schmitt’s later response and Klobuchar’s rebuttal, and reports the date and location of the basketball game. It does not independently establish what the text messages Schmitt displayed said or provide further context about them.
HOW WE SCORE ↗The article presents the exchange, Smith’s answers, Klobuchar’s correction, and Schmitt’s later response, while also noting that some commentators praised him. It does not show the text messages in detail, limiting the reader’s ability to assess the basis for Schmitt’s question.
- Source diversity — The story includes statements from both senators, Smith, Schmitt, and supportive commentators.
- Counterarguments presented — Schmitt’s continued response is included, alongside Smith’s denial and Klobuchar’s rebuttal.
- Omitted context — The content of the text messages Schmitt cited is not laid out in detail.
- Loaded language — The headline uses a mocking metaphor, though the body is largely reported as an exchange.
The piece is a reported account with direct quotations from the main participants, but its headline and opening use mocking basketball metaphors and its framing emphasizes Schmitt’s apparent error. Overall, the tilt is modest rather than strong.
- Language tone — The headline and opening use a derisive sports metaphor about Schmitt.
- Framing — The account centers the apparent Hawks/Hawkeyes mix-up and Klobuchar’s correction.
- Source selection — Schmitt, Smith and Klobuchar are quoted, along with pro-Schmitt commentators.
At a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Sen. Eric Schmitt accused Jack Smith of perjury over an Atlanta Hawks game, but Smith said he remembered attending a Maryland-Iowa game in Maryland. Sen. Amy Klobuchar confirmed that game was played on the date Schmitt cited and criticized him for the apparent mix-up.
During a hearing on Smith’s investigations into President Donald Trump, Schmitt questioned Smith about an Atlanta Hawks game and accused him of perjury after Smith denied attending. Smith said he was sure he had not gone to a Hawks game and recalled attending a University of Maryland game against the Iowa Hawkeyes instead.
Klobuchar checked the date and said the Maryland-Iowa game was played on Feb. 3, 2024, in Maryland. She criticized Schmitt for implying Smith had been in Atlanta and called for an apology; the article says Schmitt did not apologize. Asked afterward whether he still believed Smith had perjured himself, Schmitt said a prosecutor would determine that.
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Part of a bigger story
12 OUTLETSFormer special counsel Jack Smith testified before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his investigations of Donald Trump. Eric Schmitt questioned him about an alleged Atlanta basketball-game visit; Smith said he attended a different game. Left-leaning outlets portray Schmitt’s questioning as a failed attack built on an apparent mix-up, and stress that he continued defending his accusation. Center outlets focus on the basketball-game discrepancy while also covering the broader hearing about Smith’s investigations and subpoenas. Right-leaning outlets emphasize Republican challenges to Smith over his Trump investigations, while also recounting the disputed basketball-game allegation.
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