Senator Eric Schmitt thought he had the evidence. During a September 29 hearing, he showed text messages. He believed Jack Smith attended an NBA game. According to reports, Smith attended a match pitting the Atlanta Hawks against the Golden State Warriors.
Smith did not deny the texts. He corrected the record. Smith said he was at the University of Maryland. He was watching a women’s basketball game. The teams were the Terrapins and the Iowa Hawkeyes. Schmitt was wrong about the teams. He was wrong about the sport. He was wrong about the location. Yet Schmitt still accused Smith of lying. He told Smith, “I think you’ve already perjured yourself.”
He even called Smith a “dirtbag.” The Washington Examiner reported this happened last month. Schmitt has said no mistake was made. He insists the trap was real. Now the Democrats want blood. Ranking member Dick Durbin led the charge. They sent a letter on Wednesday. They want Chuck Grassley to apologize to Jack Smith.
The letter says Grassley broke Senate rules. They claim he withheld documents before the hearing. They want the apology. This isn’t just about a basketball game. It is about how we treat people in power. When a senator accuses a man of a crime, that man’s life is on the line. Schmitt used a mistake to brand a man a liar. That is not justice. That is a game. The Democrats are right to call it out.
But the fight for records shows they have a bigger goal. They want to block any future attacks. They want to stop the “petty, personal, and partisan aspersions.” The text messages proved Schmitt did not check his facts. He relied on a bad document. He did not do the basic work.
This looks like a win for Smith. He did not lie. He just played the game he was at. The real story is the demand for an apology. The committee chairman must fix this. The Senate needs to stop playing games with serious accusations.
Schmitt says he is right. The Democrats say he is wrong. The facts show he made a mistake. The apology is the only way to fix the honor of the room.
