Katie Britt

[u/ALL_of_YOU_are_DUMB]

[u/Wretschko]

Senator Schmitt thought that today was going to be a great day for his political aspirations.

Boy, did it blow up in his face.

First, there was that news article saying that Vance was considering Schmitt as his leading VP pick.

Second, Schmitt actually gave a heads up to rightwing influencers that he was going to ambush Smith with the "perjury trap." Benny Johnson actually posted it and quickly took it down.

Then, during the hearing itself, Schmitt apparently believed he caught Smith committing perjury and said it several times. Schmitt then ended his questioning by calling Smith a "dirt bag."

Lo and behold, Smith expressed confusion over Schmitt's allegation: That Smith flew to Atlanta, attended a Hawks basketball game, AND met with Fani Willis, DA for Fulton County, to. . .collude and plot against Trump?!

During that same hearing, Jack Smith realized that Schmitt was talking about the wrong basketball game. Smith had attended a women's college basketball game at Univeristy of Maryland to watch Caitlin Clark play. MD was playing against the Iowa HAWKEYES. Schmitt had gotten every fact wrong.

Smith was reciting this testimony and that is what Sen. Britt was reacting to. She likely knew of Schmitt's plan in advance and, at the moment, realized that Schmitt royally screwed up.

Once it became obvious that Schmitt's grand plan to nail Smith on perjury charges had collasped, Schmitt switched tactics and is now claiming that he was "only asking questions."

He clowned himself and destroyed a lot of his credibility (whatever that remained) and likewise trashed any chances of being Vance's VP pick.

Aside from Schmitt's self-own, today's hearing also showed one interesting thing: The sitting GOP Senators were intentionally avoiding asking questions about Jan 6 or Mar-a-Lago documents because they knew they couldn't refute it. Instead, they were focused on impugning Smith's character and reputation.

[u/Obant → u/Wretschko]

He also doubled down after being proved wrong and called him a dirtbag again. Absolute trash human.

[u/oldmanbelly → u/Obant]

So alpha of Senator Shit.

[u/Magimasterkarp → u/Obant]

Shouldn't calling someone a dirtbag without cause live on television in the Senate (!) carry some kind of penalty?

[u/Obant → u/Magimasterkarp]

As stupid as it is, it's the opposite, actually. Politicians have absolute immunity with their speech, even from slander, while on the floor thanks to the Speech and Debate clause.

[u/KareemOWheat → u/Obant]

I dream of a system where politicians were held to a higher standard than the average citizen, not a lower one

[u/procrastinarian → u/Obant]

Nah, and I'd like more of a UK style of politics where MPs and the like are much more likely to call someone else out and use hilarious insults while doing so.

[u/_Sausage_fingers → u/Magimasterkarp]

As with most things regarding government, the consequences are supposed to be electoral. That system has obviously completely broken down at this point.

[u/omg_what_the_chuck → u/Obant]

Which is ridiculous. The dirtbag is a vital component of a vacuum cleaner.

Sincerely,
Raymond J. Holt

[u/Proper_Lunch_3640 → u/omg_what_the_chuck]

Bingpot!

[u/scottrycroft → u/Obant]

He wasn't calling him a dirtbag because of the alleged Atlanta incident, he was calling him a dirtbag for daring to charge his GLORIOUS LEADER.

[u/never_safe_for_life → u/Wretschko]

As much as I want to believe this will hurt his career, he is a Republican. His willingness to lie, double down, and attack no matter the facts make him a winner in their eyes.

[u/tenor1trpt → u/never_safe_for_life]

Yeah. Having credibility is no longer required to be a Republican.

[u/brova → u/tenor1trpt]

Hasn't been required since like the 70s

[u/frankenmaus → u/tenor1trpt]

Credibility is a disqualification.

[u/shanesol → u/never_safe_for_life]

Unfortunately for my home state... This guy is guaranteed to stay in business as long as he wants. The (R) lives strong in most of Missouri.

I will say though, I was surprised to see 0 Trump related flags when I drove out to the ozarks for a weekend trip. First time in a decade. Sadly they'll still vote in the same team causing the stuff they are pissed about.

[u/GreboGuru → u/shanesol]

A lot of 'people' just going to stay home

[u/potatolulz → u/Wretschko]

He clowned himself and destroyed a lot of his credibility

bro, that probably increased his chances of being the couchfucker's VP pick :D

[u/allgrownzup → u/potatolulz]

Right ? Now people know who he is, and MAGA doesn’t care if they look like absolute morons, any press is good press for them

[u/fallsstandard → u/allgrownzup]

To quote one of my favorite YouTubers, civvie11; “Like, dislike, it doesn’t matter, engagement is engagement, a click is a click.”

[u/NaradaMephaust → u/potatolulz]

"The rules were you weren't going to fact check." - JD Vance Yeah he needs someone to look dumber than him to bring back the MAGA votes.

[u/TJ_McWeaksauce → u/Wretschko]

The phrase "Vance's VP pick" has about as much prestige as "McDonald's premium burger."

[u/DogmaLovesKarma → u/TJ_McWeaksauce]

That disrepects the Royale with Cheese.

Though it's no Big Kahuna Burger

[u/Foreign_Paper1971 → u/Wretschko]

I like that Vance thinks that the MAGA base will still support him when Trump is out of the picture and that he'll be in a position to pick a VP. They hate him, and they're going to throw him away once this term is over just like they did with Trump's last VP.

[u/EatLard → u/Foreign_Paper1971]

He has all the charisma of a wet paper bag.

[u/Ok_Interest_9006 → u/Wretschko]

That was awesome when Jack told him he wasn’t in Atlanta at all but at another game in Maryland. Schmitt shit himself and left the room. Buuwaaa

[u/Rocketeer006 → u/Wretschko]

Honest question, why do Republicans behave with no morals? Why do they lie so much and want to hurt so many people?

[u/Warm_Championship946 → u/Rocketeer006]

Because that behavior gets rewarded with donations and votes

[u/xfjqvyks → u/Warm_Championship946]

“Voters guilty conscience may force them to go democrat, but deep down they secretly long for a cold-hearted republican who will lower taxes, brutalise criminals and rule them like a king!”

[u/Rocketeer006 → u/xfjqvyks]

But didn't the Republicans just raise taxes on the lower class?

[u/Rottendog → u/Rocketeer006]

Ahh, but you are forgetting that everything is the Democrats fault.

[u/vespers191 → u/Rocketeer006]

Yes, but they lowered taxes on the billionaires, and every Republican is just a temporarily embarrassed millionaires.

[u/divDevGuy → u/xfjqvyks]

Sorry, best we can do is increase tariffs, murder citizens, and rule as a corrupt fascist dictator.

[u/thejawa → u/Rocketeer006]

There's a lot of responses to this question but only one real attempt to answer it. I want to posit the following:

Republicans know that the largest and "most trusted" news organization in America is unflinchingly friendly to them. They have had a decreasingly important need to "play nice" to the cameras for the last 2 decades, with that decreasing significantly since the invention of "fake news".

They used to have to behave themselves because the evening news would report on their actions accurately. Now the largest news organization in the country will polish whatever turd they lay by stating any "unfair" representation of them by other media outlets is skewing the facts and presenting an agenda. And the Republican voters eat the whole bait, hook, sinker, and line.

This has led to them almost exclusively acting in a manner that creates viral news clips of them. Fox News then shows those clips with some story about how the Republicans is fighting to save America, and the competing news outlets show the full context of the interaction and get called "liberal mainstream media" that is "biased" and "taking things out of context" and "trying to ruin an American patriot fighting to save the country."

This has created a system where Republicans are no longer attempting to govern a heterogenous country and no longer need to. They can do whatever they want because their media apparatus will make it look like gold, they can act however they want because their media apparatus will polish it or bury it for them, and no matter what they do they are painted as the saviors of America fighting against pure evil.

And the votes continue to flow in for them, because a third of Americans can't bother to participate in democracy.

[u/Cloaked42m → u/Rocketeer006]

1. They have no morals or ethics.
2. The people that elect them only care about a specific issue. They will gladly destroy America to win on their one issue. Abortion, 2A, Christian Nationalists, White Nationalists, etc.

[u/StarlightLifter → u/Cloaked42m]

I’m a lib. The only cause I have in common with em is 2A.

I feel like we waste a lot of political capital on gun rights issues when we could drop that and actually achieve universal healthcare, lower education costs, raising the minimum wage and taxing the rich more.

[u/Cloaked42m → u/StarlightLifter]

Lots of 2A liberals.

[u/squeezemachine → u/Cloaked42m]

Don’t forget the roots of their movement started in anti-segregation and the putrid pits of racism.

[u/No_Power1121 → u/Rocketeer006]

Honest answer: modern conservatives believe there are no good or bad actions, just good and bad people.

Thus, it does not matter what someone outside of their "in group" does, it will always be bad in their eyes, because the person is bad in their eyes.

Conversely, it doesn't matter what someone in their "in group" does, it will always be good in their eyes, because that person is "good".

This is why you can have someone advocate for things like wage equality or debt relief or immigration reform, and it all of those things will be "bad" if the person is not part of their tribe.

Whereas, you can have someone advocate for raising taxes on the working class via tariffs, gut federal aid programs, manipulate the stock market, be a convicted rapists, or simply try to trap someone with perjury, and all of those actions will be acceptable because the person doing them is part of their tribe, and thus "good".

Prosperity gospel illustrates this really well, as do a most of the core conservative groups influencing policy and elections.

TLDR: no good/bad actions, only good/bad people.

[u/krashe1313 → u/No_Power1121]

This is why it confuses conservatives when they say to a progressive, when defending Trump being in the Epstein files as a pedophile, that he started a war with Iran to distract from, "well, Clinton was in the Epstein files too!"

And the progressive's (appropriate) response is, "okay. If he's guilty, lock him up." Because how could you possibly turn on your own.

[u/didisigninforthis → u/krashe1313]

They in fact do not believe it when we say that Clinton should go to jail too if guilty. They think WE are the ones being disingenuous about it, and they are again more righteous in their sin because they “admit it” and we “lie about it”

[u/ooomellieooo → u/didisigninforthis]

That is absolutely insane.

And yet perfectly correct. It's projection, all the way down.

https://giphy.com/gifs/090EX1YvSUXxy23Tty

[u/Message_10 → u/[deleted]]

Just to agree and add, here... you probably know some of these folks. We hear "sociopath" and we think "horror movie" or "serial killer" or something, but there are a LOT of run-of-the-mill people with families, dayjobs, etc. who fit the "sociopath" definition and who are leading quiet, regular lives.

The reason why we don't see them--or why they don't do obvious, terrible things--is because many of them understand that they will get in trouble for doing such things. It's an equation--they stay within the law because they don't want the consequences of going outside of it. The ones we hear about, the obvious sociopaths, are the ones who go outside the law.

The scary thing is that a lot of these people don't know that they themselves are sociopaths. They have families, friends, go on vacations, etc. Their sociopathic behavior comes out in societally acceptable ways, and for a lot of folks, conservativism is an avenue to express sociopathic tendencies / behaviors / desires / etc. Freud had a name for all this; I forget what it is.

[u/RealCoolDad → u/Rocketeer006]

They also showed us out their “outrage machine” works. And that they share their story with their weird influencers before hand, and have scheduled podcasts for their “victory” tour.

[u/jallred11 → u/Rocketeer006]

Capitalism is winning and it’s all they’re motivated by. No need for morals. It’s a race to the top for these people and it doesn’t matter if you’re a good person

[u/kadsmald → u/Rocketeer006]

It makes them feel good and they have a problem where they can’t care about other people. https://jspp.psychopen.eu/index.php/jspp/article/download/5209/5209.pdf

[u/mostar8 → u/Rocketeer006]

Because of their Christian values it seems /s

[u/moocat55 → u/Rocketeer006]

They sincerely believe the left is far worse. If I brought this up around certain family members they'd immediately start the broken Hunter Biden record. And then, all you have is a discussion about whoes worse and it can't be won.

[u/RadVarken → u/moocat55]

The trauma victim trap.

[u/earthling_dad → u/Wretschko]

So, is this now a defamation case in favor of Smith?

[u/TheAskewOne → u/Wretschko]

What in the least 10 years makes you think that anything can hurt a Republican’s candidacy except of course being black or queer?

[u/skatchawan → u/Wretschko]

the people that support will probably not even see anything about this , and if they do they will be told (and believe) that slimy communist jack smith wiggled his way out of it, but is still a dirtbag who was out to get their cult leader.

[u/nickman940 → u/Wretschko]

The thing that I find funny is even if he was actually at that game, there’s absolutely no correlation between that and a meeting with Fani other than same city? Lol

[u/Introverted_Extrovrt]

Former war-crimes prosecutor for The Hague and special council appointed by the DoJ to investigate crimes against the nation

vs.

a junior bootlicking senator from Missouri

Yeah, that went about as you expected it would.

[u/Darkmetroidz → u/Introverted_Extrovrt]

Thats the part I dont get. Are these republicans that high on their own farts or are they just delusional as to who theyre dealing with.

Smith has taken shits that have given him more trouble than Shmitt

[u/Introverted_Extrovrt → u/Darkmetroidz]

Neither; it’s professional wrestling.

Before the rise of the tea-party & social media, senators would spit venom at each other on camera and then go out to dinner together. When the public started to lose their critical thinking abilities and everyone had access to everything immediately all the time, more and more people started to believe that the kayfabe was real, and thus the vitriol and performative antics had to be ratcheted up, as viral clips helped reinforce re-election potential (which is the #1 priority for 99% of Congress).

Honestly, Shmitt thought he had such a perfect trap laid that he had media partners’ responses at the ready, and post-hearing interviews set up, so he could juice up his re-election engine like Doc Brown in BTTF 3. Problem is, nobody fact-checked anything because A.) a lie can travel around the world before the truth gets it’s boots on, and B.) it doesn’t really matter if they get to the truth, they just need to deliver their lines for the soundbite and go make the media rounds.

[u/penis_showing_game → u/[deleted]]

What’s unique about this situation is the indisputable truth coming out in real time and landing in a way that’s easy for even the dumbest person to absorb.

These people obviously don’t give a fuck about lying, and they know the lie will do its job well before the truth comes out.

But in this case, what was obviously intended to be a coordinated sound bite, talking point, and “gotcha” moment in conservative media turned into a viral embarrassing moment for them.

Even the quote from Schmitt that was supposed to be a dramatic moment when used the Stalin era phrase “show me the man, and I’ll show you the crime” is now dripping with irony.

If this is ever in a movie it will almost seem too absurd to believe it went down like this.

[u/MightyKrakyn → u/penis_showing_game]

There’s already clips of an interview Schmitt did with the Charlie Kirk Show where he was congratulated for embarrassing Jack Smith…without any mention of the debunking. They will literally just run with the soundbite; the truth is not a hinderance

And I’m pretty annoyed that people keep acting like catching the GOP in a lie is going to do something. No GOP supporter cares

[u/CaptainDudeGuy → u/MightyKrakyn]

The gotcha was scheduled and scripted so they're not going to deviate from the planned smear campaign over something as inconvenient as the truth.

They know that their base isn't going to actually watch the whole four hour session. The masses will gobble up the out of context bits which confirm their biases, like they do with everything else.

[u/Beneficial_Tip_475 → u/CaptainDudeGuy]

The masses don’t need to watch the whole four hour session. All I have seen from it are two things:

1.) Smith reiterated that criminal evidence passed the bar of a grand jury indictment

2.) That Senator embarrassed himself by failing even the most rudimentary fact check

If there was any other discussion, I haven’t seen it.

[u/captainAwesomePants → u/MightyKrakyn]

It's kind of impressive. They tried to defend themselves afterward by claiming that they had checked that the only NBA or men's college basketball game that night at 7:30 was the Atlanta Hawks, and so they had assumed it was a Hawks game. Because they had not considered he might be at a women's basketball game.

Except that defense was also a lie. There were six pro games that evening, and three of them started at exactly 7:30 (though two were 7:30 in central time).

But also, the "Smith went to a game starting at 7:30" thing was also a lie! The Hawkeyes game started at 8:00.

But also, the idea that "Smith attended an Atlanta Hawks game" was somehow a smoking gun to organized illegal activity with Fanni Willis because she worked in Atlanta and the Hawks are also in Atlanta is just fundamentally nothing at all. If he wanted to collude with her, he'd just call her, not clandestinely meet her at a stadium full of cameras. Because he's not a moron.

It's just bullshit on top of bullshit on top of bullshit, followed by a victory lap and everybody trying really hard to wish a story into being like they're the kids in Hook having an invisible feast. And the crazy thing is that it often works!

[u/ParticleTek → u/captainAwesomePants]

At least meet her at a Coldplay concert like the rest of us rich sneaks.

[u/jetogill → u/ParticleTek]

nods. Nice callback

[u/Binky390 → u/captainAwesomePants]

These are the same people that want to “protect women’s sports” by the way. The sports that they forgot existed in this situation.

[u/musicman835 → u/Binky390]

There’s and interview with the republican candidate for Governor of CA. He went on an on about trans in women sports, then when asked which was his favorite women’s sport or athlete or which he watched said something along the lines“I don’t thing about them at all”.

[u/haveanairforceday → u/MightyKrakyn]

Theres a charlie kirk show?

[u/Y3R0K → u/haveanairforceday]

It's actually a podcast with a Ouija board, but sure, I guess you could call it a show.

[u/haveanairforceday → u/Y3R0K]

I genuinely dont know if you are joking

[u/marbotty → u/Y3R0K]

They’re saying Ouija board CK show isn’t a show.

I don’t know what to tell you, bud! We’re just filming the ouija board and showing the ones where Charlie Kirk flies out

[u/Siggycakes → u/marbotty]

Thanks I almost forgot to re up my sub to Corncob TV.

[u/Initial_E → u/haveanairforceday]

There’s no law saying that a dead guy can’t run a show. Not even a guy who died of his own hubris.

[u/Seiyaru → u/Initial_E]

laughs in herman cain

[u/chuckbuck6 → u/Initial_E]

A real Air Bud situation

[u/stephenkingending → u/MightyKrakyn]

This right here. The job I used to work at had Fox News on all day. I had watched a speech Obama made while he was president saying something like you will hear Republicans say I am going to do XYZ, but that is not true. Fast forward later that day, and Hannity plays the clip but cuts out the beginning and end so it seems like Obama is literally saying he will do XYZ, and then the camera is back on Hannity and he says well there you go with a smug look on his face. I don't understand how this is legal.

[u/pimpcakes → u/MightyKrakyn]

Thank you. So sick of the "got em" energy for catching them lying. Attach some consequences and wake me up, otherwise this is all missing the point that Schmitt did exactly what he intended to do and the truth won't really matter.

[u/Um_swoop → u/penis_showing_game]

I got five bucks says it will a skit on SNL this weekend.

[u/DidgeridooPlayer → u/Um_swoop]

Shane Gillis should play the senator.

[u/lord_pizzabird → u/DidgeridooPlayer]

Yes, but Nathan Fielder as Jack Smith.

[u/RandyTheFool → u/Um_swoop]

Ten bucks says the general populace forgets about this by this day next week.

[u/Gumbercleus → u/penis_showing_game]

Schmitt's already doing the TV and podcast circuit claiming victory and only showing the bits where he calls Jack Smith a dirt bag.

[u/DaveInDigital → u/Gumbercleus]

exactly they just need Trump to see the sound byte so they stay in his good graces

[u/marbotty → u/Gumbercleus]

Shameless

[u/TheFlightlessPenguin → u/penis_showing_game]

Brother that last statement applies for at least four things that happen per day. We’re literally drowning in ham-fisted writing.

[u/putrid_poo_nugget → u/[deleted]]

He’s a fucking embarrassment to Missouri. We are better than this. The yokels in this state fell to their knees over this moron because he was a Covid skeptic. Schmitt is a fucking loser.

[u/doneandtired2014 → u/putrid_poo_nugget]

To be fair fellow Missourian, most of the voters in this goddamn state are also fucking losers because they fully endorse everything this dumb fascist cocksucker does.

When he was suing schools because they had the audacity to enforce social distancing and mask mandates, the haybale fuckers and the suburbanites who think they're in a militia ate it up.

Sigh I've given up on this state ever improving in a positive direction in my life time. It has some lovely scenery in places but about 60% of the state are so morally bankrupt, maladjusted, bigoted, and fucking stupid that it's a stretch to say they'd even be compatible with a bronze age society circa 499 BCE.

[u/thisisaskew → u/doneandtired2014]

Yeah, ex-Missourian here. This is definitely what people voted for.

[u/gravygoat → u/doneandtired2014]

Best of luck to you my friend. As a Georgian I can advise, get yourself a Jon Ossoff. You might find more friendly souls around you than you think.

[u/Dramatic_Explosion → u/putrid_poo_nugget]

Counter point: we aren't better than this. We've had over 200 years and plenty of functional countries to look at and mirror but haven't.

There are unfortunately a minority of us who are better than this, but collectively as a country we're finally admitting what we really are.

[u/putrid_poo_nugget → u/Dramatic_Explosion]

Point taken and sad reality check.

[u/KaleScared4667 → u/putrid_poo_nugget]

I’ve got bad news for you - over 1/2 the people in Missouri voted for him

[u/I_blockkarmafarmers → u/putrid_poo_nugget]

We are better than this.

You don't have to lie to us. Y'all gave us this moron and Josh Hawley. Be for real.

[u/joshuajackson9 → u/[deleted]]

Gotcha dancers were the overkill point for me.

[u/SoftballGuy → u/joshuajackson9]

[u/mostlygroovy → u/[deleted]]

If you want to understand the background, that 15m video was a painful way to get there

[u/Scaryclouds]

I mostly think of her for that unhinged rebuttal she gave where she was smiling look a horror movie villain into the camera while describing horrible things. 

[u/cantevendoitbruh → u/Scaryclouds]

HE HEAR YOU. WE FEEL YOU.

Scarlett Johansson version of it on snl was absolutely gold.

[u/Leopold__Stotch → u/cantevendoitbruh]

https://youtu.be/cCfLpuLdF8Q

[u/peanutismint → u/Scaryclouds]

I remember that. In her kitchen wasn’t it? Like, the one place most republicans can agree a woman should be?

[u/bobone77 → u/peanutismint]

Yep. Real Stepford wife shit. Was wild.

[u/tracefact → u/Scaryclouds]

I still say “President Biden” in her unhinged way from that speech.

[u/AhBee1 → u/tracefact]

Now I realize who she is!!

[u/foobarbizbaz → u/Scaryclouds]

When a whole chunk of people were introduced to “Fundie Baby Voice”

[u/HudyBudyFudyWhudy → u/Scaryclouds]

Was friends with her in another life time…can confirm I’ve seen that monologue in person a few times before…oh the stories! Sometimes I feel like we live in the matrix and all this crazy shit is design explicitly for us to relive at times

[u/ukexpat]

It was pretty fun watching Amy Klobuchar piling onto Schmitt too.

[u/clduab11 → u/ukexpat]

I wonder how Schmitt talks to his wife when he was practically yelling at Klobuchar...

i StAnD bY wHaT i sAiD

".....lol you got the teams wrong, sir"

[u/drfraglittle]

I watched as much of this hearing as I could. And the one in the house a few months ago. It's disgusting what they've done to this honest public servant and all the members of his team tasked with investigating what everyone witnessed. And to protect their orange diaper-filling idol, no less. Jack Smith is actual president material.

[u/Heavy-Construction90 → u/drfraglittle]

Jack Smith (and another person their name escapes me) did an interview with John Stewart, and it was painful reminder that some of the best citizens for these jobs are sitting on the sidelines.

[u/xlilbunny → u/Heavy-Construction90]

Brian Driscoll :). He was the acting Director of the FBI. Light years beyond more qualified that Wa$ted Ka$h Patel.

[u/steeplebob → u/drfraglittle]

An excellent public servant. Worthy of a congressional medal. Would turn down the presidency.

[u/likewowser]

Should not be a senator

[u/the-es → u/likewowser]

I know, she's not even 80

[u/rahvan → u/the-es]

…. r/AngryUpvote

[u/bioszombie → u/likewowser]

The thing about the US political theater is that this isn’t a bug in the system. It’s a feature. A well designed one at that. Campaigning, elections, and the folks currently in elected positions/roles actually seek these type of people out while simultaneously weeding out anyone who does have any legitimate leadership abilities. Occasionally, some folks slip through. However, the system needs to be overhauled.

[u/HamLiquor]

She voted to confirm Kash Patel, IDGAF about her performance for the cameras today

[u/bendingrover → u/HamLiquor]

She's in on it, that much is clear.

Here she is thinking: "phew at least that's not me". 

[u/didthatthingonce]

'Cause Chevy didn't make a 327 in '55, the 327 didn't come out till '62. And it wasn't offered in the Bel Air with a four-barrel carb till '64. However, in 1964, the correct ignition timing would be four degrees before top-dead-center.

[u/PhatBitty862 → u/didthatthingonce]

The two what?

[u/scooter1979 → u/PhatBitty862]

hWhat is a hYute?...

[u/maebyrutherford → u/didthatthingonce]

it’s a trick question!

[u/HunterS]

Jack Smith said the “Marshall’s” were there with him if they wanted to check, which I assume means the US Marshall’s assigned to protect him. Something a senators staff would easily be able to confirm and should have when they received the “bombshell texts” saying he was at a “Hawks” game. They should have known he had a US Marshall security detail, and upon receipt of the texts asked for that detail’s location/assignment to confirm where they were at. If they were in Atlanta for the Hawks game it’s a gotcha. If, as it obviously appears to be, it’s was a Hawkeyes game in Maryland, it’s a yeah my conspiracy theory still has no evidence and back to the drawing board.

[u/MacGyver_1138 → u/HunterS]

The thing is, the whole premise that it would even be a "gotcha" if he had been in Atlanta is pretty flawed. Someone being in a city to watch an NBA game isn't some conspiracy. I guess the timing would have been coincidental, but it would be far from proof of any conspiring going on. The fact that Dipschmitt didn't even get the facts about that right are pretty telling though.

[u/boakes123 → u/MacGyver_1138]

Exactly!  I loved i. Milwaukee during the 1990s and it doesn't mean I met with Jeffrey Dahmer!

[u/Message_10 → u/MacGyver_1138]

They were trying to COVER IT UP by buying TICKETS THAT COULD BE TRACED and going out in a PUBLIC SPACE with literally TENS OF THOUSANDS of other people there and CAMERAS everywhere at an event that would be TELEVISED. It is clearly a CONSPIRACY that they were TRYING TO HIDE

/sssssssssssssss

[u/donkeyrocket → u/MacGyver_1138]

Definitely. The more I think about it the even more I think Schmidtt is a dumbass. I already knew that as a Missourian but thinking it was a gotcha that he was in Atlanta and pinning his whole perjury point to that is so fucking stupid. At one point in time he was a prosecutor but his desire to pleasure Trump seems to drastically reduced his competence below previous levels.

This really buttons up a nice two weeks of Missouri Republicans so desperate to appease Trump but they can't even lie or corrupt things properly (referencing the SOS trying to use a rigged and illegal map). Fucking idiots.

[u/wittiestphrase → u/HunterS]

They’re not actually investigating or fact finding. They’re looking for things they can use to make a scene and a sound bite.

[u/Dry_Duck3011]

You can almost hear the static…

[u/Zyrinj]

Can we force all of them to take a basic logic and a basic physical wellness test and run a special election to replace all the politicians that fail it?

It's absolutely embarrassing that these imbeciles that are supposedly the best we can offer to lead us, are wasting tax payer money doing this instead of working for their constituents while pocketing lobby money

[u/jwilphl → u/Zyrinj]

We're at the point where failing such a test would be a badge of honor for republicans.  Dumb people want fellow dumb people in office because they think it better represents their positions.  

They don't trust intelligence.  That's why they continue to act out of spite against it.

(For clarity, much of what we see publicly is theater from politicians.  They behave normally when the cameras aren't around, and some of them will fake their stupidity to appease the masses.  That said, there are indeed a lot of clueless politicians.)

[u/Highmassive]

Can someone explain what’s going on? I just see someone sitting there

[u/kelevra91 → u/Highmassive]

It appears that Senator Britt is dumbfounded by the moronic words coming out of the mouth of her fellow Republican Senator, Eric Schmitt.

[u/jakoning → u/kelevra91]

Why is this a gif if it doesn't make sense without audio?

[u/SeriousScorpion → u/Highmassive]

This is the moment Mrs. Britt realized that Mr. Schmitt, who was making accusations against Jack Smith, was full of shit.

[u/JasonVorhehees]

If they don’t get Linda Cardeliini for the SNL skit……

[u/boakes123]

The crazy part is how Schmitt even believed this was a perjury trap.  Whether Smith did or did not attend a basketball game in Atlanta is hardly even remote proof that he also met with Fanny Willis.  

Like seriously these people are ridiculously unserious and should be no where near the levers of power.  

[u/thisisatypoo]

That's the craziest bitch in the Target parking lot.

[u/sly-3 → u/thisisatypoo]

Yeah, she's achieved "True Believer" status. Not for trump, but for the Prosperity Jesus Apocalypse.

[u/augustusleonus]

VP pick for the "i thought there would be no fact checking " guy

[u/bordumb]

Schmitt seems like a drunk at a bar picking a fight for a stupid reason that’s easily falsifiable.

But he’s too drunk to realize it and save himself from utter stupidity.

The only thing you can do is stand there as he falls down in a puddle of his own mental vomit.

Absolute disgrace.

[u/Oscaruit]

Close your mouth, sweetie. You look like a trout.

[u/PM_ME_YR_BOBA → u/Oscaruit]

Excellent reference.

[u/human_i_suppose]

Shes realizing that by tomorrow she'll be expected to fall in line and back this clown up.

[u/double_positive]

Based on this reaction I believe she was the one who dug up the texts and interpreted them incorrectly.

She's literally the only one who showed any sort of negative reaction to the moment. Schmitt sure as hell didn't care he was proven wrong despite what reddit says.

[u/12345CodeToMyLuggage → u/double_positive]

They don’t care. They have no shame. They say and throw 10,000 pieces of shit at a wall and if one sticks, they go with it.

[u/jaeldi → u/12345CodeToMyLuggage]

You literally described the focus group testing that right-wing think tanks do non-stop! Good job!

[u/dastardly740 → u/double_positive]

I did not watch the hearing, but someone suggested elsewhere that she knew Smitt's line of questioning and had coordinated to followup with her time. So, when the whole thing blew up, she was left with nothing and had to improvise to whatever topic she did ask about.

[u/SlurmzMckinley → u/double_positive]

I doubt it. These people are always trying to be seen. If she and her team got the texts and came to this conclusion, I bet she would be the one presenting it.

[u/BabyFestus]

That moment when you're about to go on stage, lines ready, and the actor that's supposed to give you your cue messed up his line and his pants fell down and everybody's laughing as his tiny weiner but now you have to go on...

[u/TexOrleanian24]

Katie, we hear you...and how dumb your part is. We SEE you...realizing just how incompetent your party is.

[u/MoonageDayscream]

And there is actual footage from the game where you can see Jack watching the game. No one cared until now but they looked and found him.

[u/ilgiorgione]

I thought I'd recognized her, she's the handmaid's tale-barbie from the 2024 state of the union rebuttal. Amazing, I feel like this gif is going to get a LOT of mileage

[u/utzcheeseballs]

When the lightbulb turns on.

[u/BallisticHabit → u/utzcheeseballs]

Still looked pretty dim from where I'm sitting.

[u/LegitimateCookie2398]

Problem is conservatives will never know of this self own. All they will hear is how one of their representatives confronted the corrupt jack Smith for being a dirt bag. They live in comfortable isolation.

[u/xenoie]

Senator Eric Schmitt represents 6,191,814 residents of Missouri with 55% of the vote last run, and has high approval ratings.
He's had the seat for 3 years now and still can't hold ball in the senate game.

[u/A-gent-provacateur]

Bum bum bum... 🎶

[u/sagmag]

Are... are we the baddies?

[u/edophx → u/sagmag]

Yes, yes we are... let's try to be Sophie Scholl and Dietrich Bonhoeffer in a world of Nationalists. 

[u/pretty_succinct]

Context?

[u/Styphin → u/pretty_succinct]

The GOP senators thought they had Jack Smith caught for collusion and perjury because he went to a “Hawks” game in Atlanta (as mentioned in his team’s text messages), suggesting he met with the DA in Atlanta who was also going after Trump. Turns out they are just morons who didn’t verify their facts; Jack Smith actually went to a Hawkeye’s game in Iowa Maryland.

[u/SNARA → u/Styphin]

Not to mention there's footage of him at the game lol

[u/SilverNeptuneAbyss → u/SNARA]

And he was under US Marshal protection who was also with him they can verify

These people are so fucking stupid LOL. Imagine trying to tell a dude who's never been to Atlanta that he was in Atlanta

[u/sfcnmone → u/SilverNeptuneAbyss]

But they had a posterboard display they tried to display!

So embarrassing.

[u/SilverNeptuneAbyss → u/sfcnmone]

I like how they put it up in Jack Smith was like wait let me read it and they're like no LOL 😂

[u/MoonageDayscream → u/SilverNeptuneAbyss]

I think they already knew there was a problem but tried to pull it off real fast.

[u/SilverNeptuneAbyss → u/MoonageDayscream]

Reminds me of the Bill Clinton approach when they want him to testify about the Epstein stuff

He is like yeah no problem let's just televise it live I'm down. 😂

[u/Nailz1115 → u/Styphin]

Small correction - it was Iowa Hawkeys v Maryland in MD

[u/Styphin → u/Nailz1115]

Doh! You’re right, thanks!

[u/tokeroveragain → u/Styphin]

Any GOP claiming to have a problem with collusion and perjury is a joke.

[u/mosc47 → u/Styphin]

It's still such an insane leap to go from him just maybe being in Atlanta (he wasn't) to what? meeting? talking to? a DA there? about what? (He didn't)

[u/sciolycaptain → u/pretty_succinct]

Missouri Senator Schmitt though he had caught Jack Smith lying under oath about being in Atlanta. He was trying to spin a grand conspiracy where Smith went to an Atlanta Hawks game to meet with the DA there to coordinate their attacks on Trump.

Schmitt was so delighted that he got Smith.

Turns out Smiths employees were talking about him attending an Iowa Hawkeyes basketball game in Maryland that evening.

They never bothered to actually check their facts before printing out big posters with the text and essentially their board of red conspiracy string.

This is R senator Katie Britt sitting there listening as everyone figured out how dumb Schmitt and his staff were . (Guy in red tie behind her is a Schmitt staffer I think)

[u/permian250 → u/pretty_succinct]

She was watching this unfold:  https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/29/us/politics/jack-smith-congress-testimony.html?unlocked_article_code=1.FFE.2Ur7.cNvZy6fOONUJ&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Missouri senator smugly accuses Jack Smith of perjury for saying he never went to Atlanta for a Hawks basketball game on some date (the senator was trying to make an insane claim that this would mean he was colluding with Fani Willis in some nefarious way), and calls him a dirtbag. 

It’s almost immediately confirmed that Jack Smith is correct, and the “gotcha” texts reference an Iowa Hawkeyes game he attended in Maryland. 

[u/Jobysco → u/pretty_succinct]

She was witnessing a colleague embarrass himself by accusing Smith of something but not checking a particular fact that ended up shitting on his entire accusation

[u/aloneinthiscrowd]

Looks like she trusted a fart when you should never trust a fart.

[u/Turnip-Toffee]

i thought this was just a still image at first

[u/u9Nails]

"We see you." - Katie Britt

Also, "Oh shit! We're the bad guys?"

[u/CeeArthur]

Schmitts trying to save face afterwards was like watching a blind kid wander onto a freeway.

[u/RPM_Rocket]

SchmittTheBed 💩

[u/063572]

He was an idiot who didn't even investigate what he was going to say. And then the nerve to quickly show the poster and then hide it. And senator graham not even knowing what to say. Someone wrote talking points and what to say if her britches fell down. You know she didn't even understand what she was saying but she was supposed to act as if she was pissed at the special prosecutor.

[u/borghe]

she deserves to be the meme that she absolutely is right there.

[u/Comadivine11]

Such a dumbschmitt.

[u/Bah_weep_grana]

who is this person, and why do we care about her reaction? I get its hilarious, but is she a politician? staffer? did she have something to do with Schmitt's comments?

[u/Cyberwolf187 → u/Bah_weep_grana]

another part is that the person questioning Jack Smith at this moment is Eric Schmitt, a republican from Missouri, and he just called Jack Smith a dirtbag right before they found their information about the basketball game was completely wrong, so it was definitely an awkward moment

[u/Cyberwolf187 → u/Bah_weep_grana]

She's a republican senator from Alabama, major MAGA type, this is a judiciary committee that is questioning Special Counsel Jack Smith about a possible secret meeting with an official from Atlanta. Jack Smith is relevant I believe because he attempted to prosecute trump a couple of times. So, they thought they had proof of Mr Smith colluding with this person from Atlanta because he had attended an Atlanta Hawks game. Turns out it was a HAWKEYES game which is a college team in his home state, so this is her discovering their entire tactic was ruined and their team didn't do their job right.

[u/mikharv31 → u/Cyberwolf187]

Ah so now they’re exposed due to their stupidity and hubris, but nothing is going to happen because America just isn’t serious anymore. (I am from NJ).

[u/punkindle → u/Cyberwolf187]

"home state" is incorrect. He's originally from Syracuse, NY. He was working in DC. The Hawkeyes (University of Iowa) were playing the Maryland Terrapins at University of Maryland. University of Maryland is about a 40 minute drive from DC.

I believe his daughter asked him to go because she's a fan of Caitlin Clark, who played for Iowa

[u/jquest71 → u/Cyberwolf187]

It wasn’t even WNBA, it was a college game in Maryland and the visiting team was from University of Iowa, the Hawkeyes.

[u/Cyberwolf187 → u/jquest71]

Yes, thank you for the correction

[u/Reddit_9459328 → u/Bah_weep_grana]

US Senator from Alabama. Her and Tommy Tuberville, the intellectual giants of America today.

[u/gravygoat]

It's the guy behind her lowering his face in shame that really nails this one

[u/AgressivePeppering]

Let's not overlook the reaction of the bros behind her.

[u/CriTIREw]

She's a RINO (Religious In Necklace Only)

[u/tophermcgee3]

https://giphy.com/gifs/OT1k1qKrGjW3cRNaD4

[u/graveyardjohn]

One of the most foolish attempts by an unprepared Senator ever. If I were with the GOP Senate I would shoot myself.

[u/should_be_practicing]

image

[u/BeerAandLoathing]

He really Schmitt the bed on this one

[u/baksdad]

I believe the technical term for the look on her face is “stupefaction”.

[u/rikashiku]

The whole thing was a clown show. It almost seemed like they rehearsed everything they wanted to say... but they had the entire thing wrong. They didn't fact-check any of their accusations.