Claims extracted
24
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
17%
4 of 24 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
Leans left
of the writing, not the subject · beta estimate
Publisher signals
70/100
Washington Examiner's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
35
Politics
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
During a congressional hearing this week, Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) claimed former special counsel Jack Smith once attended an NBA game in Georgia to tie him to Fulton County’s prosecution of President Donald Trump, but according to a report, the texts the senator cited did not reference any basketball team names.
uncertain
senator → claim → names
Schmitt accused Smith of perjury for allegedly lying about attending an Atlanta Hawks NBA game on Feb. 3, 2024, but Smith denied he was ever there.
uncertain
he → accuse → Feb.
The witness later recalled that he watched an Iowa Hawkeyes college women’s basketball team play in Maryland that day.
asserted
team → recall → Maryland
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) then suggested her Republican colleague confused the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes in his line of questioning presented to Smith.
uncertain
colleague → suggest → Smith
In response, Schmitt criticized Klobuchar for favoring the former federal prosecutor and rejected the assumption that he made an error.
asserted
he → criticize → error
While he was confident in his questions, Schmitt apparently had no definitive evidence that placed Smith at the Georgia basketball game over two years ago.
asserted
that → have → game
Texts obtained by the Hill from the Department of Justice make no reference to either the Atlanta Hawks or the Iowa Hawkeyes.
asserted
Texts → obtain → Hawks
Rather, the texts only mentioned seating for Smith and his staff.
asserted
texts → mention → Smith
At least one of those texts appeared to be featured on the poster board Schmitt had prepared for the hearing, noting “109 Row 1 reserved for Jack.”
asserted
Schmitt → appear → Jack
At one point during the hearing, Smith said he remembered going to the Maryland basketball game because Caitlin Clark was playing for the Iowa Hawkeyes at the time.
asserted
Clark → say → time
Over a month after the game, one of the texts referenced Clark.
asserted
one → reference → Clark
Schmitt’s staff said the senator did not possess any texts that referenced Clark.
asserted
that → say → Clark
“Senator Schmitt has never seen texts referencing Caitlin Clark, hence why he asked what game Jack Smith was at
asserted
Smith → see → game
,” a spokesperson for Schmitt said.
asserted
spokesperson → say → Schmitt
“Had Schmitt received those text messages of course he wouldn’t have asked which game he attended.
asserted
he → receive → game
As the Senator has since said, he learned the one thing he and Jack Smith have in common is they are a fan of college sports.
asserted
they → say → sports
The Missouri Republican tried to link Smith to Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, who admitted to having a romantic relationship with the special prosecutor she hired to lead Georgia’s 2020 election interference investigation into Trump.
asserted
she → try → Trump
Willis made the confession a day before the Atlanta Hawks game, so Schmitt presumably thought Smith may have visited Willis while he was down there.
uncertain
he → make → Willis
Smith said he never met Willis or her former special prosecutor.
asserted
he → say → Willis
Republicans have accused Smith of coordinating with the state-level prosecutors who were investigating Trump.
asserted
who → accuse → Trump
The former special counsel handled two investigations into Trump.
asserted
counsel → handle → Trump
One focused on his alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, and the other was over his alleged mishandling of classified documents after leaving office in 2021.
asserted
other → focus → 2021
Both cases were eventually dismissed before Trump returned to the White House last year.
asserted
Trump → dismiss → House
Following Smith’s resignation, which came 10 days before Trump’s second inauguration, Republicans continue accusing Smith of conducting politically motivated prosecutions of the president and misleading Congress.
asserted
Republicans → follow → Congress
The Aporia
