While Caitlin Clark is focused on the WNBA playoffs, the Indiana Fever star unexpectedly found herself at the center of an attempted “gotcha moment” that backfired on Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt during a Senate hearing Tuesday.
Schmitt accused Smith, who in 2023 indicted President Donald Trump on four charges related to an investigation surrounding the Jan. 6, Capitol riots, of attending an Atlanta Hawks game on Feb. 3, 2024. The assertion was based on text messages Schmitt claimed to have from Smith’s team indicating he was in Atlanta at the time.
However, after some confusion inside the room, Smith eventually realized the Missouri senator had made an error. On the day in question, Smith actually was in College Park, Maryland, watching Caitlin Clark and the Iowa Hawkeyes defeat the Maryland Terrapins.
Schmitt’s reason for bringing up Smith’s alleged attendance at a Hawks game was an ill-fated effort to somehow connect the former special counsel’s whereabouts to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
A day before the February 2024 Hawks game, Willis, who also indicted Trump in a separate case related to 2020 election interference, admitted she had a “personal relationship” with the special prosecutor, Nathan Wade, she hired to prosecute the case in Fulton County.
Before Smith realized he had been watching Clark and Iowa in Maryland, Schmitt accused the former special counsel of perjury because he said he did not recall being in Atlanta or attending a Hawks game in February 2024.
“I really don’t think so. It’s possible I flew through the Atlanta airport on the way to Florida, but I do not have a recollection of going to Atlanta. I definitely did not go to a Hawks game,” Smith replied to the probing.
Schmitt also called Smith a “dirtbag” before finishing his remarks.
The mishap from Schmitt drew a strong rebuke from a fellow Senate Judiciary Committee member — Minnesota Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar.
“I would just say for a U.S. senator to have false information and imply based on a confusion about the name of a team, which I knew knowing my Midwestern sports,” Klobuchar said, “and imply that you were in another city, that you were somehow involved that day in what was happening in Georgia, and then call you a dirtbag is something that deserves an apology.”
While Smith stands by the merits of his initial indictment of Trump, he moved to dismiss the charges after Trump won the presidency again in 2024. The decision was based on longstanding Department of Justice policy to not prosecute a sitting president.
Willis was eventually removed from the Georgia election interference case against Trump due to the appearance of impropriety concerning her romantic relationship with Wade, according to the AP. The case was dismissed entirely last November after the prosecutor who took over for Willis, Pete Skandalakis, declined to pursue any charges.
During Tuesday’s hearing in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Republican members attempted to impeach Smith’s character and credibility. Smith maintained during the questioning that his team “developed proof beyond a reasonable doubt that President Trump engaged in serious crimes against our nation.”
While he was not in Atlanta to see the Hawks as Schmitt alleged Tuesday, Smith indeed saw a memorable performance by Clark back in February 2024. The former Hawkeyes star posted 38 points, 12 assists, and six rebounds during a 93-85 victory.
Clark’s Indiana Fever began the WNBA playoffs with a 102-85 loss against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. The Fever staved off elimination with a 99-89 win at home on Tuesday, though, setting up a decisive Game 3 Thursday back in Las Vegas.
