Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) delivered a blistering rebuke of Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) on Tuesday, following Schmitt's widely mocked line of questioning during former special counsel Jack Smith's Senate testimony. Raskin told CNN's Erin Burnett that Schmitt had "disgraced himself" by conflating the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes in a transparent attempt to curry favor with former President Trump.
"Look, nobody ever heard of Sen. Schmitt before, and nobody's going to ever hear of him again," Raskin said. "He's basically disgraced himself and identified himself with this ridiculous little stunt where he thought he was going to perform some major service to Donald Trump."
The Maryland Democrat, ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, characterized Schmitt's approach as "all about being the most obsequious sycophant you can be, and he proved that he was." He added, "And he doesn't even understand how much that he's utterly humiliated himself in the eyes of the country."
The controversy began when Schmitt asked Smith whether he had attended a February 2024 NBA game in Atlanta between the Hawks and the Golden State Warriors. Schmitt's staff displayed text messages they claimed showed Smith's team discussing seat numbers for the game, which Schmitt noted occurred shortly after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) acknowledged a romantic relationship with a staffer—an episode that roiled the Georgia election interference case against Trump.
Smith initially denied being at the game, but as Schmitt pressed, the former prosecutor clarified that he had actually attended an Iowa Hawkeyes game in Maryland to watch Caitlin Clark play. Video footage of Smith in the crowd at that game soon surfaced on social media, confirming his account. Schmitt, however, doubled down, calling Smith a "dirtbag" and a "villain" before concluding his questioning.
Senate Democrats, including Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), accused Schmitt of peddling a false narrative. "You're accusing him of being at a game that you were nowhere near," Hirono said during the hearing. Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) also weighed in, noting, "It looked like he had text messages suggesting that Jack Smith was at some sporting event he wasn't at, and he hoped to catch Jack Smith in some false statement. It turns out the only thing false was the presentation."
Schmitt has since defended his conduct, telling local media that his job was "to ask the questions, and his job is to answer the questions." When asked whether he believed Smith perjured himself, Schmitt replied, "We'll see." He has also promoted the inquiry on conservative outlets, despite widespread criticism over the mix-up. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) called for an apology, while the blunder has been widely covered as a defining moment of the hearing.
The episode unfolded during a contentious Senate Judiciary Committee hearing where Republicans sought to scrutinize Smith's investigations into Trump. Smith, who defended his prosecutions, warned of a rule-of-law crisis if political interference goes unchecked. The hearing also touched on unrelated topics, including Trump's push for an AI portal and health summit.
Raskin, asked whether Schmitt would apologize to Smith, responded, "Well, not from the looks of it." The sharp exchange underscores the deep partisan divisions surrounding Smith's work and the lengths some Republicans are willing to go to discredit him.
