<p>During a congressional hearing on October 2, 2026, Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) claimed that former special counsel Jack Smith attended an NBA game in Georgia to connect him to the prosecution of President Donald Trump in Fulton County. However, a report indicated that the texts cited by Schmitt did not mention any basketball team names.</p>
<p>Schmitt accused Smith of perjury for allegedly lying about attending an Atlanta Hawks game on February 3, 2024, but Smith denied being present at the game. Smith later recalled attending a college women's basketball game featuring the Iowa Hawkeyes in Maryland on that date.</p>
<p>Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) suggested that Schmitt confused the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes during his questioning of Smith. Schmitt responded by criticizing Klobuchar for favoring Smith and rejected the notion that he had made an error.</p>
<p>Despite his confidence in his questioning, Schmitt did not provide definitive evidence placing Smith at the Georgia basketball game. Texts obtained by The Hill from the Department of Justice did not reference either the Atlanta Hawks or the Iowa Hawkeyes, only mentioning seating arrangements for Smith and his staff. One of these texts was displayed on a poster board Schmitt prepared for the hearing, indicating "109 Row 1 reserved for Jack." </p>
<p>During the hearing, Smith stated he remembered attending the Maryland game because Caitlin Clark was playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes at that time. A text referenced Clark over a month after the game.</p>
<p>Schmitt’s staff indicated that the senator did not have any texts referencing Clark. A spokesperson for Schmitt stated, "Senator Schmitt has never seen texts referencing Caitlin Clark, hence why he asked what game Jack Smith was at. Had Schmitt received those text messages, of course he wouldn’t have asked which game he attended. As the Senator has since said, he learned the one thing he and Jack Smith have in common is they are a fan of college sports." </p>
<p>Schmitt attempted to link Smith to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who acknowledged having a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor leading the investigation into Trump’s alleged election interference in Georgia. This admission occurred the day before the Atlanta Hawks game, leading Schmitt to speculate that Smith may have visited Willis during his time in Georgia.</p>
<p>Smith stated that he had never met Willis or her former special prosecutor. Republicans have accused Smith of coordinating with state-level prosecutors investigating Trump.</p>
<p>Smith previously handled two investigations into Trump: one regarding alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election and another concerning the mishandling of classified documents after Trump left office in 2021. Both cases were ultimately dismissed before Trump returned to the White House last year.</p>
<p>Following Smith’s resignation, which occurred ten days before Trump’s second inauguration, Republicans have continued to accuse Smith of conducting politically motivated prosecutions against the president and misleading Congress.</p>