Senator Schmitt’s Perjury Play Turns into a Game of Mis‑Memories

In a move that could have been straight out of a political sitcom, Senator Eric Schmitt decided that the only way to expose a potential lie by DOJ Special Counsel Jack Smith was to ask if he’d watched the Atlanta Hawks‑Golden State Warriors clash at the State Farm Arena.

Schmitt thought a simple yes or no would do the trick – like a traffic officer waving a red flag at a jam – but the drama unfolded like a slow‑cooking roti on a Sunday morning, full of twists that even the local traffic cops would envy.

He launched the claim during a press briefing, pointing to the fact that the game was played on a Sunday night and that Smith had been in the city that day. “If he’s telling the truth about his whereabouts, he should have been at the game,” Schmitt said, the sort of line that would get a chuckle in a parliamentary debate.

Smith, meanwhile, replied in a calm manner that he had indeed attended the match, citing the packed seats, the roar of the crowd and the fact that the game was the only live event on TV that night. He even offered to show a photo from the arena.

The evidence turned out to be more convincing than Schmitt’s accusation. A security guard’s log, a ticket stub, and a blurry selfie from a fan in the 4th quarter proved that Smith had been there – and watching the Hawks battle the Warriors.

By the time the final buzzer rang, Schmitt’s perjury claim had backfired, with the senator being the one who got the short end of the stick. The crowd, both in the press room and on social media, laughed at the irony of a man trying to prove a man didn’t attend a game he had clearly watched.

The incident has become a favourite joke in Auckland coffee shops, with people pointing out that politics can be as confusing as the GPS on a motorway during rush hour. “It’s like asking a traffic officer if they’re following the signs,” one commentator mused.

Schmitt, however, is not one to take a joke lightly. He’s already hinted at a new line of attack, this time focusing on whether Smith was actually present at a charity event that was scheduled for the same day.

While the incident may seem trivial, it’s a reminder that even the most well‑planned political gambits can turn into a slapstick routine when bureaucracy and a love of basketball collide. The next time a senator wants to prove a point, he might do better to stick to facts that can’t be proven by a selfie or a ticket stub.