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Did Jack Smith go to Atlanta Hawks game to meet Fani Willis? Eric Schmitt's mixes up teams at testimony
Eric Schmitt grilled Jack Smith on attending Atlanta Hawks game to meet Fani Willis. Smith denied as Amy Klobuchar said it was an Iowa Hawkeyes game.
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Jack Smith, former Special Counsel to President Joe Biden, who oversaw the criminal investigation and prosecution of Donald Trump, is testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday. Smith is being questioned about oversight in the criminal investigation against Trump.
However, the testimony in Washington DC took an unexpected turn when it came to Missouri junior Senator Eric Schmitt questioning Smith. Schmitt alleged that the 57-year-old prosecutor attended an Atlanta Hawks game in Atlanta, but it was only a pretext to meet Fulton County District Attorney, Fani Willis.
Willis led a state-level racketeering prosecution against Trump for his alleged attempts to overturn the 2020 election mandate in the state. Schmitt alleged Smith had traveled to the Atlanta Hawks NBA game in order to collude with Willis and added that he has texts to prove the same.
What Eric Schmitt Said About Attending Atlanta Hawks Game
"Did you go to an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks on February 3rd, 2024?" the Junior Senator asked. Smith replied in the negative.
Eric Schmitt then continued: "Okay, is it your testimony that you were not in Atlanta on February 3rd, 2024? Let me just give you a little context. The day before Fannie Willis came clean with her affair with the prosecutor- you know, the Atlanta prosecutor that was also trying to get Trump- the next day, were you in Atlanta?"
"It's possible, I flew through the Atlanta airport on the way to Florida, but I do not have a recollection of going to Atlanta. I definitely did not go to a Hawks game," Smith said.
Eric Schmitt claimed then that he had a series of texts to prove the allegations against Smith. He showed a poster with the texts on it, and quickly took it away.
"What would you say if I had a series of text messages from your team that said you were in Atlanta at a Warrior Hawks game on February 3rd, 2024, the day after Willis and Wade announced their affair?" Schmitt said. "I don't think you know that we have this stuff, so I'll give you a second to process it."
Amy Klobuchar Steps Into Correct Schmitt
Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar, also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, intervened amid Eric Schmitt's grilling of Smith about attending the Atlanta Hawks game. She pointed out that the Missouri Senator could be mixing up team names, as records show that Smith was in attendance for an Iowa Hawkeyes game on February 3, 2024.
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"Could it then be that the University of Iowa is the Hawkeyes? Could that be it? And maybe before we show this kind of thing," Klobuchar said, interrupting Schmitt. "It was because Caitlin Clark was coming to Maryland to play.
"I know, but that might be the confusion over the names of the team, but perhaps you should have looked at it more carefully," she added.
On February 3, 2024, the Iowa Hawkeyes defeated the Maryland Terrapins 93–85 at the in College Park, Maryland. The Atlanta Hawks also played that day at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, defeating the Golden State Warriors 141-134 in overtime.
