It’s pretty rare to see a major sports blunder unfold in Washington, but Senator Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) provided just that on a Tuesday morning. It was, in a way, reminiscent of a scene you’d see in a cartoon—he confidently presented what he thought was a key piece of evidence suggesting that Jack Smith had perjured himself during the investigation of President Donald Trump.
Schmitt boldly asserted that he had texts showing Smith was in Atlanta on February 3, 2024, while watching the Atlanta Hawks take on the Golden State Warriors. Here’s the kicker: Smith was actually in Maryland, attending a game between the Iowa Hawkeyes and Maryland.
Smith explained, “It… it was because Caitlin Clark was coming to Maryland to play. That’s why we went to the game.” Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minnesota) couldn’t hold back her laughter over the mix-up. She took the opportunity to call out Schmitt for implying that Smith was being deceptive based on that incorrect information and even noted his poor grasp of basketball knowledge: “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…”
Smith confirmed that he was indeed at the game with U.S. Marshals, but he was definitely not in Atlanta as Schmitt had claimed. However, one might wonder if perhaps he should have been! Let’s compare the matches he attended with the one Schmitt erroneously referenced.
Iowa Hawkeyes 93, Maryland Terrapins 85
Caitlin Clark had an outstanding game, scoring 38 points, dishing out 12 assists, and grabbing 6 rebounds. While her shooting from three-point range wasn’t the best—7-for-17—it was still an impressive performance overall.
Atlanta Hawks 141, Golden State Warriors 134
That game required overtime to decide the winner. Steph Curry was on fire, scoring 60 points, including 10-of-23 from beyond the arc. Unfortunately for him, it wasn’t enough to fend off the Hawks, who were led by Trae Young’s impressive offense.
Honestly, I’m not sure there’s a clear right or wrong choice of game to attend in this situation. Personally, I might give the nod to seeing the Hawkeyes in Maryland, simply because you get to experience Caitlin Clark in action and witness a game where she truly shined. Sure, it’s not every day you see Steph drop 60 points, and that’s remarkable too, but it doesn’t carry the same kind of significance.
