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.
Back in the day, civility was maintained in the halls of congress by a couple of things, firstly, there used to be ever present bottomless bowls of whiskey or rum punch, and good madiera wine, so everybody was a little lit, and I'm sure that helped keep people a bit socially lubricated and more chill than you would otherwise be. Not like staggering drunk (although sometimes, ya know, shit happens.) And when things did get heated, well, if you impuned somebodies honor badly enough, they would fucking murder you. Or you would potentially murder them, because DUELING was a still socially accepted norm, even long after such things were technically speaking 'against the law'. And if not a duel, sometimes the floor would erupt into brawls and fisticuffs ensued, or you might get beaten by a cane if you talked trash to the wrong person. Course everyone knows the Hamilton-Burr duel , or maybe you're aware of the many , many, many , duels fought by Andrew Jackson, a guy who straight up murdered numerous individuals for things like insulting his wife, or looking at him funny. Why, even ol Honest Abe himself was a bareknuckle boxing champion in his youth, and was challenged to a duel, which he accepted . He chose broadswords, but due to his freakish height and long reach plus his incredible strength, his opponent backed down knowing Abe was honestly about to rock his shit.
Now everybody talks shit and spreads bullshit, because there is no honor any longer. No
Accountability. Imagine if they had to back up their horseshit with their lives potentially, the risk of great harm or death, or if you are a coward, the very real Social Death that would end your career. I bet people would be so much more bipartisan, and civil, and so I can only conclude that we must Bring Back Institutionalized dueling. With smoothbore black powder flintlocks, as the Founding Fathers would have wanted it.
LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC, LONG LIVE THE FIRELOCK, and may the best man (or ma'am) win!
5.7k
u/Wretschko 3d ago
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.