Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) on Tuesday tore into Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) after Schmitt and his staff botched a line of questioning about former special counsel Jack Smith's attendance at a basketball game, confusing the NBA's Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, Schmitt asked Smith if he had attended a February 2024 game in Atlanta between the Hawks and the Golden State Warriors. When Smith denied it, Schmitt's staff displayed texts from Smith's team discussing seat numbers, but the exchange unraveled when Schmitt appeared to mistake the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Hawks.
Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, did not hold back in an interview with CNN's Erin Burnett. "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."
Raskin went further, accusing Schmitt of trying to curry favor with the former president. "It was all about being the most obsequious sycophant you can be, and he proved that he was," he said. "And he doesn't even understand how much that he's utterly humiliated himself in the eyes of the country."
When asked whether Schmitt would apologize to Smith, Raskin replied, "Well, not from the looks of it."
The confusion began when Schmitt pressed Smith on whether he had attended a game in Atlanta. Smith initially denied it, but Schmitt's staff displayed text messages that appeared to show Smith's team discussing seat numbers. Schmitt then said the date was "for context" — just after Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis (D) admitted to a relationship with a staffer, which roiled the Georgia election interference case against Trump.
Smith's demeanor shifted to confusion as he clarified that he had actually attended an Iowa Hawkeyes game in Maryland to watch Caitlin Clark play. Video of Smith at that game has since circulated online.
Schmitt ended his questioning by calling Smith a "dirtbag" and a "villain," despite pushback from other senators about the mix-up. Senate Democrats accused Schmitt of pushing a conspiracy theory, but the Missouri Republican has promoted the exchange on conservative media.
Local outlets, including Nexstar affiliate KTVI St. Louis, also questioned Schmitt about the gaffe. He defended himself by saying his job is "to ask the questions, and his job is to answer the questions." When asked if he believed Smith perjured himself, Schmitt said, "we'll see."
Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii) accused Schmitt of peddling a false narrative, saying Smith was "at a game that you were nowhere near." Sen. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) added, "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."
The incident has drawn widespread criticism, with some calling for an apology. Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) also weighed in, urging Schmitt to say sorry for the confusion. The hearing itself was part of broader GOP scrutiny of Smith's work on the Trump cases, which has been a flashpoint in the ongoing political battle over the former president's legal troubles. For more on the hearing, see the heated Senate grilling and how the mix-up derailed the questioning.
