'You don't even make sense': Fury as CNN conservative defends MAGA senator's epic flop

CNN panelists piled on to a conservative commentator who defended a Republican senator's failed ambush of former special counsel Jack Smith.

Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) attempted to link Smith to a conspiracy to take down Donald Trump with a Georgia prosecutor by placing him at an Atlanta Hawks game in February 2024, but that scheme immediately fell apart when it came to light he had actually been at an Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball game at the University of Maryland.

"I mean, I would guess that awhite man basketball fan is afan of Caitlin Clark," said "CNN This Morning" host Audie Cornish. "I don'tthink that's such a stretch.But that's not an apology, andif you step on a rake, own it."

Anti-trans activist Terry Schilling praised Schmitt for handling his flop with good humor, but he argued that Smith had been spying on Joe Biden's political enemies, and Cornish asked why Republicans were unable to provide evidence of wrongdoing.

"This isthe thing that people arestruggling with, are you notable to criminally charge Jack Smith because you do not havefacts to support it and theones that you are using are nottrue?" Cornish said.

Schilling argued the hearing had accomplished Republicans' goal of gathering new information, and both Cornish and Democratic strategist Antjuan Seawright asked what had been revealed.

"What's one thing you didn't know yesterday that you know now?" Cornish asked.

Schilling said he was surprised by how many lawmakers had their phone records subpoenaed as Smith investigated Trump's effort to overturn his 2020 election loss, and Seawright said no evidence of a crime has been uncovered.

"If Jack Smith had donesomething wrong, Donald Trump'sDOJ or FBI or whoever wouldhave fully prosecuted him," Seawright said.

Schilling was dubious and asked who was the Jack Smith of the Trump administration, and Cornish pointed out all the indictments and attempted prosecutions the Department of Justice has brought against the president's enemies in his second term.

"Terry, you're not being serious," Seawright said.

Schilling pointed out that Trump campaigned in 2016 on "lock her up" – meaning his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton – but argued that he had actually not targeted her or other foes with prosecution, and Seawright again pounced.

"Terry, you're being unserious this morning," Seawright said. "All I'm saying to you is, in this iteration of Trump, if Jack Smith did anything close to being wrong, they would have taken him to the coals by now."

Schilling disagreed, saying that Trump has angered his base by failing to take action against his enemies.

"Okay, so why hasn't Trump taken any action on the autopen?" Schilling said. "Look, this is one of the criticisms of the Trump administration by the base, because there haven't been the prosecutions that they all expected."

Seawright argued the president cannot prosecute Biden for using the autopen because he does so himself, and Schilling agreed that had set a bad precedent.

"You don't even make sensewhat you're saying, Terry," Seawright said.

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