Senator Schmitt Accuses Jack Smith of Perjury Over Basketball Game
Klobuchar points out Schmitt's confusion between Iowa Hawkeyes and Atlanta Hawks.
AI-assisted coverage comparison, editor-supervised · How this was made
Look Of Horror On Senator's Face After She Realizes Colleague's Huge Gaffe During Hearing
Photograph: The Independent (US) (embedded from source)
What this story says
- Senator Eric Schmitt accused former special counsel Jack Smith of perjury during a Senate hearing.
- Schmitt claimed Smith lied about attending an NBA game in Atlanta.
- Jack Smith stated he attended a game in Maryland involving the Iowa Hawkeyes.
- Senator Amy Klobuchar noted Schmitt's confusion between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Atlanta Hawks.
Who covered it
Percentages are shares of the 7 outlets carrying a published leaning rating. Coverage measured .
Trust
42/100
Craft
65/100
Hype
41/100
7 sources · methodology
Thin on the right so far
None of the 7 outlets with a published leaning rating that ran this story are rated right.
This story is still being watched, so it is a count and not yet a finding. Coverage keeps arriving for hours after an event, and a side that has published nothing this morning may publish by tonight. If it is still true when we stop checking, we will say so plainly.
Senator Eric Schmitt accused former special counsel Jack Smith of perjury, alleging Smith had lied about attending an NBA game in Atlanta. Schmitt presented text messages he said proved Smith's attendance. However, under questioning from Senator Amy Klobuchar, Smith stated he had attended a game in Maryland featuring the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Disagreement on game location and teams
Senator Eric Schmitt claimed Jack Smith attended an NBA game in Atlanta. Jack Smith stated he attended a game in Maryland. Senator Amy Klobuchar highlighted Schmitt's apparent confusion between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Atlanta Hawks.
What the coverage left out
No right-rated reports were published about this story. The digests from left and centre-rated outlets did not mention any claims made by Republican officials suggesting Jack Smith colluded with Fani Willis to prosecute Trump, beyond the context of Schmitt's initial accusation.
Still developing. We have re-checked which outlets are covering this 2 times, most recently on 29 Sept 2026, 20:30, and will add the sides that appear.
How each side covered it
Our own reading of the reporting listed below, written from the outlets’ articles rather than quoted from them. The reasoning is set out on our methodology page.
Left
6 rated outlets
- Ten left-rated reports focused on Senator Eric Schmitt's accusation of perjury against former special counsel Jack Smith. These reports highlighted Schmitt's claim that Smith lied about attending an NBA game in Atlanta. They also detailed how Senator Amy Klobuchar pointed out Schmitt's confusion between the Iowa Hawkeyes and the Atlanta Hawks, with some reports quoting Klobuchar directly. Several left-rated outlets noted that conspiracy theories promoted by Republican officials suggest Smith colluded with Fani Willis to prosecute Trump. The Independent's full report noted the reaction of Republican Senator Katie Britt to Schmitt's gaffe. Raw Story and Alternet mentioned Sean Hannity deleting a post related to the exchange. Joe.My.God. and Above the Law used headlines that characterised Schmitt's actions as a significant error.
Centre
1 rated outlet
- The centre-rated report from The Hill led with Senator Amy Klobuchar's reaction to Senator Eric Schmitt's apparent confusion. The report quoted Klobuchar stating she was glad one of them knew the difference between the Hawks and the Hawkeyes. It also noted Klobuchar's call for an apology from Schmitt before he made accusations.
Right
0 rated outlets
No outlet rated right has run this story so far. We are still checking, and will say plainly if that does not change.
Questions about this coverage
- How did the left and right cover Senator Schmitt Accuses Jack Smith of Perjury Over Basketball Game?
- Of the 7 outlets on this story carrying a published leaning rating, 86% are rated left, 14% are rated centre, 0% are rated right. Those percentages are shares of the rated outlets, not of every outlet that ran it. The sections above set out what each side emphasised, in its own terms.
- Is Senator Schmitt Accuses Jack Smith of Perjury Over Basketball Game left or right?
- Too few of the outlets on this story carry a published leaning rating to say. 7 of them do, and this site does not characterise a field under 12: at that size one newsroom filing moves the share by ten points. The percentages above are the count as it stands.
- Is the coverage of Senator Schmitt Accuses Jack Smith of Perjury Over Basketball Game biased?
- Senator Schmitt Accuses Jack Smith of Perjury Over Basketball Game is one event reported by 7 outlets, and this page does not rate the story as biased or unbiased. What it publishes is the spread: which outlets ran it, where named rating organisations place each of them on the spectrum, and what each side chose to lead with. A leaning rating describes an outlet's record over time, not this article, and the two should not be run together.
- Which side is not reporting Senator Schmitt Accuses Jack Smith of Perjury Over Basketball Game?
- When we first saw this story, outlets rated right had barely covered it. Coverage accretes for hours after an event, so that is where to look rather than a verdict — the split above is the current count, and it is the one to read.
- Which outlets covered Senator Schmitt Accuses Jack Smith of Perjury Over Basketball Game?
- 7 that we know of, every one of them listed further up this page with a link to its own report and to what we hold on the publisher. Nothing here is a summary of somebody else's summary: the outlets are named so the original reporting can be read.
- What did Senator Eric Schmitt accuse Jack Smith of?
- Senator Eric Schmitt accused former special counsel Jack Smith of perjury. Schmitt claimed Smith lied about attending an NBA game in Atlanta, presenting text messages as evidence. Jack Smith stated he attended a game in Maryland.
- What was the confusion during the hearing?
- Senator Eric Schmitt appeared to confuse the Iowa Hawkeyes, a college basketball team, with the NBA's Atlanta Hawks. Senator Amy Klobuchar highlighted this mix-up, noting that Smith had attended a game in Maryland involving the Hawkeyes.
- Did any right-rated outlets cover this story?
- No right-rated outlets published reports on this story. The coverage analysed came from left-rated and centre-rated publications, as well as unrated sources.
Read it at the source
21 outlets, grouped by the leaning a published rating gives them. Every headline links to the original; an underlined outlet name opens our profile of that publisher.
Left
16- 'This is what you like!' Fury after Sean Hannity backpedals defense of Jack Smith attack (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
- GOP Senator Suffers ‘Completely Humiliating’ Gaffe in Planned ‘Gotcha’ Hearing Moment With Jack Smith (opens The Wrap in a new tab)
The Wrap — is The Wrap biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Senator’s look of horror after she realizes colleague’s huge gaffe (opens The Independent (US) in a new tab)
The Independent (US) — is The Independent (US) biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Senator’s look of horror after she realizes colleague’s huge gaffe (opens The Independent in a new tab)
The Independent — is The Independent biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Klobuchar's knowledge of Midwest college sports comes in handy during hearing (opens Minnesota Reformer in a new tab)
Minnesota Reformer — is Minnesota Reformer biased? Our profile of this outlet
- MAGA Media Is Trying to Spin Senator’s Brutal Gaffe Into a Win (opens RollingStone in a new tab)
RollingStone — is RollingStone biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Sean Hannity deletes post after Jack Smith tears apart new MAGA conspiracy (opens Alternet in a new tab)
- Schmitt suggests Jack Smith perjured himself about a basketball game, but mixes up 2 teams (opens PBS NewsHour in a new tab)
PBS NewsHour — is PBS NewsHour biased? Our profile of this outlet
Show 8 more
- Republican's apparent basketball mixup derails Jack Smith hearing (opens USA Today in a new tab)
- OOPS: GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt Epically Face-Plants In Failed Attempt To Bust Jack Smith For Perjury (opens Joe.My.God. in a new tab)
Joe.My.God. — is Joe.My.God. biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- GOP senator suffers embarrassing blunder while grilling Jack Smith in hearing (opens MS NOW in a new tab)
MS NOW — is MS NOW biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Senator Accuses Jack Smith Of Perjury Because Missouri Lawmaker Too Dumb To Know About The Iowa Hawkeyes (opens Above the Law in a new tab)
Above the Law — is Above the Law biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Republican Senator Makes Embarrassing Mistake While Accusing Jack Smith Of Crimes (opens HuffPost in a new tab)
HuffPost — is HuffPost biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Even Politico trolls outraged Republican for handing Jack Smith a win (opens Raw Story in a new tab)
Raw Story
- The Jack Smith Hearing Is A Complete Disaster For Republicans (opens Politicus USA in a new tab)
Politicus USA — is Politicus USA biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- MAGA Influencers Wildly Try to Spin GOP Senator’s Viral Gaffe as a Win: ‘Lock This Traitor Up!’ (opens Mediaite in a new tab)
Mediaite — is Mediaite biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Centre
2- Klobuchar on Schmitt: Glad one of us knows difference between Hawks, Hawkeyes (opens The Hill in a new tab)
The Hill — is The Hill biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
- Republican Senator embarrasses himself with bizarre Caitlin Clark mistake during Jack Smith testimony (opens The Comeback in a new tab)
The Comeback — is The Comeback biased? Our profile of this outletOpinion
Right
0No outlet in this group ran the story.
Not rated
3- U.S. Senator embarrassingly mixes up Iowa Hawkeyes, Atlanta Hawks during official hearing (opens BVM Sports US in a new tab)
BVM Sports US — is BVM Sports US biased? Our profile of this outlet
- U.S. Senator embarrassingly mixes up Iowa Hawkeyes, Atlanta Hawks during official hearing (opens saturdaydownsouth.com in a new tab)
saturdaydownsouth.com — is saturdaydownsouth.com biased? Our profile of this outlet
- Missouri Sen. Eric Schmitt accuses Jack Smith of perjury before basketball mix-up emerges (opens Newstalk KZRG in a new tab)
Newstalk KZRG — is Newstalk KZRG biased? Our profile of this outlet
How did this read?
About the coverage, not about the story. We do not ask whether you agree with what happened — we have no honest use for that answer.
