(eric schmitt) tell me why is this trending now

U.S. Senator Eric Schmitt (R-MO) is trending due to a viral exchange during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing involving former Special Counsel Jack Smith.

Mediaite

During questioning, Schmitt attempted to trap Smith into perjury by accusing him of secretly traveling to Atlanta on February 3, 2024, to attend an NBA Atlanta Hawks game, citing internal team text messages mentioning “Hawks”. Schmitt was trying to establish Smith’s presence in Atlanta around the time Fulton County DA Fani Willis was under scrutiny.

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However, the “gotcha” moment fell apart when Smith clarified he had never been to Atlanta for a Hawks game, but had instead attended a University of Iowa women’s basketball game (featuring Caitlin Clark) played against the University of Maryland. Schmitt had confused the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes.

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The mix-up was called out during the hearing by fellow senators, and clips of the exchange quickly spread across social media and news outlets.