‘A total dirtbag’: GOP senator mistakenly accuses Smith of perjury over NBA game

During a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on September 29, 2026, Senator Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., accused former Special Counsel Jack Smith of perjury. Schmitt presented a text message suggesting Smith was in Atlanta for a basketball game in 2024. However, the tense exchange revealed that Schmitt had confused the names of basketball teams, specifically mixing up the Hawks and Hawkeyes. The hearing was conducted to examine Smith's probe into Donald Trump at the Hart Senate Office Building.