During his questioning of Smith, Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt accused Smith of meeting with Fani Willis, the district attorney for Fulton County, and pressed him on attending a basketball game in Atlanta in February 2024
“Did you go to an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks on February 3, 2024?” Schmitt asked, with his staff quickly holding up a large poster before just as quickly taking it down.
Willis had charged Donald Trump and several of his allies with attempting to overturn the election results in Georgia, but her case fell apart defense challenges to her efforts that cited her romantic relationship with the top prosecutor she hired for the case.
Smith said he had not attended the game and asked to see the poster, which Schmitt refused to show. Democratic Sens. Dick Durbin and Cory Booker also asked for the poster to be brought back up.
When Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar asked again for the poster to be seen, Schmitt’s staff and Sen. John Kennedy held up the poster, which included text messages purporting to confirm a ticket and seat for Smith.
The game, however, was between the University of Maryland and the Iowa Hawkeyes, in College Park, Maryland, Smith said.
“I recall going to a University of Maryland basketball game where Caitlin Clark was playing right around that time, and the Marshal Service was there with me,” Smith said. “You could check if that was the exact date.”
Sen. Schmitt accuses Smith of meeting with Fani Willis. His narrative quickly fell apart.
Sen. Schmitt accuses Smith of meeting with Fani Willis. His narrative quickly fell apart.
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At the end of the exchange, Klobuchar turned to Schmitt, noting the difference between the Atlanta Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes.
“Perhaps you should have looked at it more carefully,” she said.