Senator Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., questioned former special counsel Jack Smith during a Senate Judiciary hearing on September 29, 2026, regarding his attendance at an NBA game in Atlanta in February 2024. Schmitt claimed to have text message evidence indicating that Smith was at a game involving the Atlanta Hawks, which occurred the day before Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis acknowledged an affair with Nathan Wade, the special prosecutor in the case against President Donald Trump related to the 2020 election interference in Georgia.
Smith responded that he could not recall being in Atlanta at that time and confirmed that he did not attend an Atlanta Hawks game. Schmitt presented Smith with a poster board displaying screenshots of text messages and stated, "I will give you a second to process so you don't perjure yourself," adding, "I think you've already perjured yourself."
During the hearing, Smith mentioned that he remembered attending a University of Maryland women's basketball game around that time, where Caitlin Clark was playing. Clark was a prominent player for the University of Iowa Hawkeyes, a detail that was highlighted by Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar during the session. Klobuchar remarked, "I think that people should have their facts straight before they accuse someone of being a dirtbag, and not get the teams wrong."