Newly obtained text messages are casting fresh doubt on Sen. Eric Schmitt's (R-Mo.) accusation that former special counsel Jack Smith committed perjury during his recent Senate Judiciary Committee testimony. The messages, reviewed by The Hill, contain no mention of the Atlanta Hawks or the Iowa Hawkeyes, the two teams at the center of a bizarre line of questioning that has since become a political embarrassment for Schmitt.
During the hearing, Schmitt pressed Smith on whether he had attended an Atlanta Hawks game on Feb. 3, 2024, suggesting the trip was tied to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis's prosecution of President Trump. Smith denied being at the NBA game, saying he recalled attending a Maryland-Iowa women's basketball game in College Park to watch star Caitlin Clark. Schmitt then accused Smith of perjuring himself, calling him a "dirtbag."
But the text messages turned over by the Justice Department show that Smith's staff never referenced either team by name. Instead, the exchanges focused on logistics: finding seats, coordinating meetups, and discussing whether to link up after being seated in different sections. In one message, a member of Smith's team, JP Cooney, wrote, "We are in 201. High; but center court. I will swing down at half to say hello."
The absence of any team names undercuts the theory that Schmitt's staff simply confused the similar-sounding "Hawks" and "Hawkeyes." Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) had suggested that explanation, but the texts suggest Schmitt's team was fixated on the date of the game, not the team names. The messages displayed by Schmitt during the hearing showed only seat numbers, not team references.
Schmitt's office maintains that he never saw the texts referencing Caitlin Clark, which would have clarified which game Smith attended. "Senator Schmitt has never seen texts referencing Caitlin Clark, hence why he asked what game Jack Smith was at," a spokesperson said. "Had Schmitt received those text messages of course he wouldn't have asked which game he attended."
The controversy has drawn widespread mockery, with critics questioning whether Schmitt's staff relied on artificial intelligence to review documents. A Wednesday report from MSNOW indicated that Schmitt's staff was warned by Sen. Chuck Grassley's (R-Iowa) office that the text messages were unverified and needed verification before use. The episode has also sparked calls for an apology, with Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-Md.) saying Schmitt "disgraced himself" during the botched grilling.
Schmitt has defended his questioning, telling a St. Louis TV station that "the only NBA game going on that night was in Atlanta on Feb. 2 of 2024" and that his job is to ask questions. But the text messages reviewed by The Hill, which span July 2023 to May 2024, show no such reference to an NBA game. In late March, a few weeks after the outing, prosecutor David Harbach wrote in a message, "P.s. Caitlin Clark on tonight at 8pm on ESPN"—further evidence that Smith's team followed the Iowa star, not the Atlanta Hawks.
The underlying premise of Schmitt's inquiry was to tie Smith to Willis, who had admitted the day before to a romantic relationship with a staff member. Republicans have long alleged coordination between Smith's office and state prosecutors investigating Trump. Smith denied ever meeting with Willis or her deputy. The text messages do not support Schmitt's implication, and the episode has become a case study in how unverified information can derail a high-profile hearing.
