Sen. Katie Britt's reaction to Eric Schmitt's Atlanta Hawks gaffe at Jack Smith's hearing becomes a meme
The hearing of former Special Counsel Jack Smith at the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington DC Tuesday produced a major gaffe from Missouri Junior Senator, Eric Schmitt.
US Senator Katie Britt speaks during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing with former special counsel at the Justice Department Jack Smith on September 29. (REUTERS)Sen. Schmitt mixed up the names of two teams, the NBA's Atlanta Hawks and the WNBA's Iowa Hawkeyes, and subsequently refused to admit the mistake. While the moment itself had viral life social media, what seems to have outlived it is fellow Republican Senator Katie Britt's reaction to the gaffe.
Jack Smith was answering questions from the Senate Judiciary Committee over his criminal investigation into President Donald Trump. Eric Schmitt, intending to question Smith about attending an Iowa Hawkeyes game, ended up talking about a Hawks game.
When it was pointed out that it was an obvious mix-up, Schmitt refused to admit it, creating a major row with Democrat Senator Amy Klobuchar. Katie Britt, realizing the mix-up that the Missouri Republican had made, reacted with visible shock.
The footage of the moment was captured on the C-SPAN live broadcast of the committee proceedings. A zoomed-in view of Katie Britt's face during the viral Eric Schmitt interaction has been going viral since.
Eric Schmitt tried to allege that Jack Smith had travelled to Atlanta on February 3, 2024, and attended an Atlanta Hawks game at the State Farm Stadium. He claimed that attending the game was a pretext for Smith to meet Fulton County prosecutor Fali Willis. Willis also brought criminal charges against Trump in the 2020 election fraud case.
"Did you go to an NBA game between the Golden State Warriors and the Atlanta Hawks on February 3rd, 2024?" Schmitt said. He alleged there was evidence in the form of texts to prove that Jack Smith was in Atlanta on February 3, 2024.
However, the texts were actually about Jack Smith attending an Iowa Hawkeyes game in Maryland on the same day.
"What would you say if I had a series of text messages from your team that said you were in Atlanta at a Warrior Hawks game on February 3rd, 2024, the day after Willis and Wade announced their affair?" Schmitt said.
But Democratic Party Senator Amy Klobuchar, also a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, realized the mistake by Schmitt as she also had the same set of text evidence.
"Could it then be that the University of Iowa is the Hawkeyes? Could that be it?" Klobuchar said.
Shamik is a journalist covering the United States for Hindustan Times. He has more than four years of experience reporting on US politics, sports, and major breaking stories across fast-moving cycles. He previously worked at Times Now and Sportskeeda, building strong newsroom instincts and digital storytelling skills. At HT.com, he focuses on day-to-day coverage of US political developments while also handling high-impact stories that demand speed, accuracy, clarity, and context under pressure. Shamik has extensive experience covering NFL game days over the past two years, coordinating live updates, analysis, and explainers. He is particularly drawn to large news moments such as US elections and the Super Bowl, where he thrives at the news desk working alongside the team. He holds degrees in Media Studies from Jamia Millia Islamia and English Literature from Jadavpur University. Before entering journalism, he briefly worked in digital marketing and political consultancy roles. Currently a Senior Content Producer at HT Digital, he is driven by curiosity, discipline, and a constant desire to explore new and obscure topics. Outside work, he enjoys reading, films, sports, and learning continuously.Read More
