Sep 30, 2026 · 43 min
A Senate gotcha collapses into a basketball mix-up
GOP’s Jack Smith “bombshell” collapses over Hawks vs. Hawkeyes mix-up
The episode connects a failed accusation against Jack Smith to broader questions about politicized prosecutions, uncertain midterm signals, and institutional abandonment.
- 1Eric Schmidt’s perjury accusation against Jack Smith unraveled after he appeared to confuse the Atlanta Hawks with Iowa’s Hawkeyes.
- 2Resistance inside the Justice Department and weak evidence are complicating the Trump administration’s effort to pursue perceived political enemies.
- 3Carol Leonnig’s reporting rejects a simple hero-versus-vigilante narrative about Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny’s subway encounter.
Don't miss
The hearing’s supposed bombshell falls apart when Jack Smith’s game may have been an Iowa Hawkeyes matchup, not an Atlanta Hawks game.
The brief
Republican Senator Eric Schmidt tried to turn Jack Smith’s recollection of a February 2024 basketball game into a perjury accusation, linking it to prosecutors Fani Willis and Nathan Wade.
The supposed bombshell collapsed when Smith said he may have attended an Iowa game involving Caitlin Clark, exposing a likely confusion between the Atlanta Hawks and Iowa Hawkeyes.
Chris Hayes and Adam Schiff treat the episode as a basic cross-examination failure—and as evidence of Republicans avoiding the substance of the case against Donald Trump.
Carol Leonnig describes resistance, resignations, weak evidence, and grand-jury pushback complicating politically motivated Trump prosecutions, while midterm polling remains vulnerable to turnout uncertainty.
Leonnig’s reporting on Jordan Neely and Daniel Penny resists easy moral sorting, tracing the subway tragedy to mental-health crises, homelessness, COVID disruption, and institutional abandonment.
Books & mentions
Some links are affiliate links — PodLume may earn a commission if you buy.
Man in the Mirror, Hope Struggled and Belonging in an American City
Leonnig’s reported account examines the human and institutional failures surrounding Jordan Neely’s death and Daniel Penny’s prosecution.
Injustice, How Politics and Fear Vanquished America's Justice Department
The book extends the episode’s examination of political pressure and the erosion of Justice Department independence.