Senator Eric Schmitt has drawn sharp criticism for attempting to shift blame for the failed Jack Smith hearing onto lawyers who graduated from Harvard Law School and the Antonin Scalia Law School. According to two Above the Law reports, Schmitt highlighted the educational backgrounds of the attorneys involved in preparing the perjury case, implying their elite credentials contributed to the debacle. The articles, however, are united in rejecting this deflection, arguing that Schmitt is using the lawyers as scapegoats for what was ultimately his own team's failure.
The coverage notes that while Harvard and Scalia Law graduates did have a hand in the preparation, the senator should not get to hide behind them. Both sources agree that the real issue is Schmitt's attempt to distance himself from the embarrassing outcome, and they caution against letting him off the hook. The tone of both pieces is sharply critical, framing Schmitt's actions as a cynical political move rather than a legitimate critique of legal education or the lawyers' performance.
Where the sources differ is minimal—one focuses more on the absurdity of blaming specific institutions, while the other emphasizes the broader pattern of Schmitt's behavior. But on the core point, they are aligned: Schmitt's effort to drag Harvard and Scalia Law into the controversy is a distraction from his own accountability. The articles ultimately serve as a reminder that in high-stakes political hearings, blame-shifting is common, but it rarely absolves the person in charge.