Louisiana Voice

Every now and then, some elected official does/says something to astoundingly stupid that we of the loyal opposition view it as a gift.

Such was the case yesterday when Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Missouri) thought he had caught former special counsel Jack Smith in a “gotcha” moment—and on national television yet.

It was enough of a blunder that Schmitt’s stupidity eclipsed that of fellow Missourian Josh Hawley, he of the wind-sprint through the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2001 in an effort to escape all those “tourists” meandering through the hallways and into the offices of elected officials.

Schmitt, grilling Smith in hearings before the Senate Judiciary Committee, accused the witness of being a “dirt bag” and of committing perjury by denying he was in attendance at an Atlanta Hawks NBA game on Feb. 3, 2024, thus implying Smith had met secretly with Fulton County district attorney Fani Willis and her associate Nathan Wade in some sort of conspiracy to persecute one Donald Trump.

Schmitt, in typical kneejerk Repugnantcan fashion, had apparently confused the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Haweyes, a collegiate team, which was playing on that same date…in Maryland. Smith was at that game to see Caitlin Clark play.

Well, hell. That’s understandable. Honest mistake. I once purchased what I thought were tickets for a Cardinal baseball game in St. Louis only to learn I’d bought tickets to an Oriole game in Baltimore. Both birds, right? Kidding. I love baseball but have never been to a game in St. Louis or Baltimore. Just trying to make a point about the insanity of these Repugnantcan who thought they had Smith caught in a lie only to expose their own lack of diligence.

When corrected by Sen. Amy Klbucher (D-Minnesota), Schmitt ranted that she was “trying to rehabilitate the witness” when by all appearances, it was Schmitt who needed rehabilitation.

Columnist Heather Cox Richardson was quick to point out when a witness lies before a congressional committee, he can be prosecuted for perjury but senators and representatives enjoy special immunity to such penalties when their lies are uttered as part of the public proceedings. It’s almost as if the law doesn’t apply to them.

The Washington Post uncharacteristically used the gaffe to poke fun at Schmitt in appropriate basketball vernacular, saying the senator “thought he had a slam dunk but it was an air ball.”

Schmitt, of course, attempted to minimize the significance of his attempted ambush gone awry, saying, “Here’s the thing, my job is to ask the question, and if that’s what his answer is, that’s what his answer is.”

That, Senator, is pretty lame, about as lame as the comments posted by conservative commentator Benny Johnson and Fox News host Sean Hannity, both of whom claimed Smith had perjured himself during his testimony. Both their comments were soon taken down when it became apparent it was Schmitt, not Smith, who’d made a fool of himself—and by extension, Johnson and Hannity.

And almost too good to be true, you know who Schmitt’s wing man was at the hearing? Take a look at the photo below and see if you recognize anyone.