MAGA Senator Caught on Camera Watching Colleague Self-Combust
No one appeared more mortified by Sen. Eric Schmitt’s humiliating blunder than Katie Britt.
Sen. Katie Britt has been recorded watching in horror as her Republican colleague humiliated himself in the Senate in a botched attempt at a gotcha moment on a top Trump foe.
Britt sat in shock next to fellow Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt as he made an incredible gaffe while trying to corner former special counsel Jack Smith about supposedly attending an Atlanta Hawks game in 2024.

Sen. Eric Schmitt accused former special counsel Jack Smith of being in Atlanta in February 2024 and perjuring himself, but it quickly became clear Schmitt had mixed up basketball teams and that the game Smith had actually attended was played in Maryland.
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Schmitt was peddling a theory that Smith colluded with Georgia prosecutors, including the Atlanta-based Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, to prosecute Donald Trump and his allies.
“You will go down as a total dirtbag,” Schmitt declared as he accused Smith of committing perjury.
ADVERTISEMENT
But the MAGA senator from Missouri’s ambush went off the rails as it became clear he mixed up the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks with the University of Iowa’s Hawkeyes. As she realized Schmitt’s mistake, no one looked more mortified than Britt.

Some likened the camera’s close-up on Britt’s face amid Schmitt’s self-combustion to a scene straight out of ‘The Office’ or ‘Curb Your Enthusiasm.’
MS NOW
An MS NOW camera zooming in on the 44-year-old senator captured her with her mouth agape and eyes wide in disbelief, as Smith pointed out he had attended a Hawkeyes game in Maryland, not a Hawks game in Atlanta.
Get the best of The Beast delivered right to your inbox
By clicking “SUBSCRIBE” you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
“I recall going to a University of Maryland basketball game where Caitlin Clark was playing right around that time, and the Marshal Service was there with me,” he said. “You can check if that was the exact date. It was Maryland playing Iowa—I think February of 2024.”
Britt slowly closed her mouth and seemed to gulp as Smith dismantled Schmitt’s takedown attempt.
The sole basis of Schmitt’s questions was an exchange of texts about “Jack.” Hours earlier Schmitt was tipped by Trump-friendly email bulletin Axios as the “trustworthy, intelligent” choice to be a running mate for JD Vance.
Evan Vucci/Evan Vucci/REUTERS
The clip unleashed a wave of schadenfreude, with MS NOW’s Director of Congress Matt Fuller posting on X, “Sen. Katie Britt — a former congressional staffer herself — knew she was watching a mythical staff f--k up.”
He added, “The type of f--- up that interns will hear about as a cautionary tale on their first day of work on June 1, 2047.”
Others likened the camera’s close-up on Britt’s face amid Schmitt’s self-combustion to a scene straight out of The Office or Curb Your Enthusiasm.
Britt’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After Smith pointed out Schmitt’s embarrassing mistake, the Republican was admonished by Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who had seemed suspicious of his bizarre line of questioning from the start.
“I think people should have their facts straight before they accuse someone of being a dirtbag,” she said.
Klobuchar, 66, took another dig at Schmitt at the end of her own questioning of Smith, whom MAGA has villainized for leading investigations into Trump’s involvement in the January 6, 2021, assault on the Capitol, and into his possession of highly classified government secrets after leaving office at the end of his first term.
Just hours before his spectacular gaffe, Schmitt had been tipped as a 2028 running mate for JD Vance by Trump-friendly email bulletin Axios. It described him as “trustworthy, intelligent, articulate and a deft political operator.”
Register below to read this article for free or subscribe
to unlock unlimited access to The Daily Beast.
Monthly
$1
First month then $5.99/month
Annual
$35
First year then $59.99/year
Premium
$79
First year then $119.99/year
*Substack access provided by the next business day, using your subscription email. Choosing the Premium plan constitutes your permission to share your subscription email with Substack and your agreement to Substack’s Privacy Policy.
Already have an account? Sign In
Looks like you already have a subscription!
You're all set!
Thanks for subscribing.
Sign in
Login dialog

ADVERTISEMENT
Sign in or create an account
Login dialog
Loading comments…
ADVERTISEMENT