Republican senator accuses ex-prosecutor of perjury over basketball team mix-up
GOP senator Eric Schmitt accused Jack Smith of perjury over a Hawks and Hawkeyes basketball team confusion.
Jack Smith, who led two criminal cases against Donald Trump, faced attacks from Republicans at a Senate hearing on Tuesday. Senator Eric Schmitt claimed Smith attended an Atlanta Hawks game on February 3, 2024, and suggested he had met the former Fulton County prosecutor.
Smith denied the claim. Jack Smith clarified he had watched the University of Iowa Hawkeyes play basketball in Maryland.
Schmitt called him a "dirtbag" and raised perjury claims based on the confusion. Democratic senator Amy Klobuchar said Schmitt should apologise for giving false information.
Other Republicans attacked too, with Ted Cruz and John Kennedy among them. Kennedy told Smith: "You make me want to throw up in my mouth."
- 3 February 2024
- Schmitt's claim date
- Maryland
- Smith's actual location
- dismissed before trial
- Trump cases status
Why it mattersThe exchange exposed how partisan attacks in Congress can rest on factual errors rather than evidence, and it highlighted the political divide over Trump's prosecutions.
AustraliaNo direct Australian effect yet, though it reflects the ongoing US political controversy over Trump prosecutions that affects Australia-US relations.
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 1 d ago
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