Sep 30, 2026 · 42 min
A Senate basketball mix-up exposes conspiracy-driven politics
Smug GOP senator faceplants with humiliating 'gotcha' failure
The episode connects a failed hearing stunt to broader fights over democracy, health care, artificial intelligence, taxpayer-funded messaging, and political influence.
- 1Eric Schmidt’s attempt to implicate Jack Smith collapsed after staff confused an Iowa women’s game with an Atlanta Hawks game.
- 2Amy Klobuchar and Cory Booker argue that conspiracy politics distracts from voters’ concerns about democracy, health care, and the economy.
- 3Jim Himes warns that pressure on companies and donations to Trump-linked projects could create a pay-to-play system.
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The hearing collapses when Jack Smith explains that he attended an Iowa women’s basketball game in Maryland, not an Atlanta Hawks game.
The brief
Senator Eric Schmidt tried to corner former special counsel Jack Smith over an alleged Atlanta Hawks game, but the confrontation turned on a basic factual error.
Amy Klobuchar helped expose the mistake: Smith attended an Iowa women’s basketball game in Maryland, not an Atlanta Hawks game, undermining the hearing’s central insinuation.
Klobuchar and Cory Booker argue that conspiracy-driven politics diverts attention from democracy, health care, corporate concentration, pharmaceutical abuses, and the economy.
Booker also raises risks from artificial intelligence, including scams, surveillance pricing, data centers, and harms to children, while criticizing taxpayer-funded Department of Homeland Security advertising.
Jim Himes closes with a warning that pressure on law firms and companies, alongside donations to Trump-linked projects, could turn government contracting into pay-to-play politics.