Eric Schmitt was warned that evidence he intended to introduce in his perjury trap for Jack Smith had not been vetted; Schmitt used it anyway, and now he might pay a political price

Eric Schmitt's perjury gaffe draws press attention (ABC4 News)

The blowback keeps piling up for U.S. Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) after his attempt to set a perjury trap for former Special Counsel Jack Smith blew up spectacularly at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The latest self-induced headache for Schmitt comes from a report that evidence he cited had not been vetted, and the senator knew that in advance. The latest comes from a jointly published piece at Daily Beast and Yahoo! News under the headline "MAGA senator hit with fresh humiliation after new bombshell." The report hinted that a Schmitt staffer might face fallout from the fiasco. William Vaillancourt writes:

The Republican senator who flubbed a gotcha moment while questioning former Special Counsel Jack Smith knew the evidence he cited had not been vetted, a new report claims.

Eric Schmitt was warned in advance that the series of text messages he proudly displayed at Tuesday's hearing were not properly vetted, a source familiar with the matter tells MS NOW.

As former attorney general of Missouri, Schmitt should know how to build a case, especially one he hoped would result in a perjury charge against Smith. So why did Schmitt haul off at the hearing with the legal equivalent of toilet paper stuck to his shoe? I can only think of 2-3 answers to that question. One is that Schmitt simply might not be too smart. Two is that Schmitt has become such an ardent Trumper that it clouded his judgment and caused him to become reckless. Three is that Schmitt desperately wants to gain a position in the Trump administration and was willing to do most anything to impress his would-be boss. Considering that Trump's poll numbers are flat lining, and the economy is cratering, it's hard to see why anyone would want to join the Trump White House. Has the Senate become that bad a gig?

Law students usually take a trial advocacy course in their second or third year of law school, and I suspect the primary lesson goes something like this: "Success in the courtroom depends on sound and thorough preparation." Eric Schmitt must have skipped class that day. Villaincourt writes:

Schmitt tried to corner Smith by asking whether he attended an Atlanta Hawks basketball game, a roundabout way of suggesting he was colluding with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who was investigating President Donald Trump's election interference in Georgia.

Smith, Schmitt claimed, committed perjury when he said he did not go to a Hawks game in February 2024. Smith answered that he had actually been at an Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball game instead—creating a viral moment that continues to embarrass Schmitt.

The Daily Beast/Yahoo! report provides background on how Schmitt came to wander into a proverbial cowpile:

The mishap originated when the Justice Department shared the texts with GOP staff on the Judiciary Committee, according to MS NOW. Chairman Chuck Grassley's staff omitted the texts from a memo about information to be used in the hearing. Grassley did not share the messages with his Democratic colleagues, either.

Schmitt's staff, the report claims, searched for information that might show a connection between Willis' investigation and Smith's. They were then given the texts, but with a warning that they had not been vetted. Schmitt's staff was reportedly told they would need to complete the necessary vetting.

They apparently did not.

A fact-check would have revealed that the seat number mentioned in the texts sent between Smith's staff does not exist in the Hawks' home arena. Smith also appears in the crowd in videos of the Hawkeyes game in Maryland, about 550. 

Before his error, Schmitt was floated as a potential running mate for JD Vance in 2028, and was described as "trustworthy, intelligent, articulate and a deft political operator." After the error, Schmitt seems to be none of those things.

As for the aforementioned Schmitt staffer, he also seems to have cow poopy on his shoe. Villaincourt writes:

The MAGA senator's disastrous line of questioning may also reap consequences for a member of his staff.

Prior to Tuesday, the staffer on Schmitt's team who held up the giant poster of the texts, Ethan Harper, was on track to leave his role as general counsel and join the White House in the Staff Secretary's office. However, the episode has added some doubt to that transition, Politico reports. The extent of Harper's behind-the-scenes involvement wasn't immediately clear.

The Daily Beast has reached out to Schmitt's office and the Justice Department for comment.