Lawmaker's stunned face and other viral moments cap rough week for political class

Politicians from both parties had a rough week as slip-ups and unpopular messaging sent floods of unwanted attention their way.

Britt was seated beside Schmitt as he pressed Smith over whether he attended an Atlanta Hawks game on Feb. 3, 2024, pointing to text messages he said showed Smith had been there. When Smith denied attending the NBA game, Schmitt accused him of lying under oath. 

Schmitt had apparently mistaken references to the Iowa Hawkeyes for the Atlanta Hawks, overlooking that Smith had attended the Iowa-Maryland women's college basketball game that night rather than the NBA game in Atlanta.

As the situation unfolded, and Schmitt's mistake became apparent, a pool camera zoomed in on Britt's face, revealing her shocked expression.

"Sen. Katie Britt, a former congressional staffer herself, knew she was watching a mythical staff f--- up," one MS NOW reporter wrote. "The type of f--- up that interns will hear about as a cautionary tale on their first day of work on June 1, 2047."

"[Britt] opposes abortion and yet Schmitt just aborted his 2028 VP odds on live TV," a liberal YouTuber quipped.

Schmitt's exchange quickly became one of the most viral moments of the Smith hearing, drowning out much of the rest of the day's events.

The Missouri senator attempted to defuse tensions with a tongue-in-cheek response to the controversy.

His post drew another wave of negative responses.

Schmitt wasn't the only politico to draw the ire of the internet this week.

Troy Jackson, the Democratic Senate nominee in Maine, caught heat from figures on the left after posting a video of himself sipping boba tea and criticizing the wealthy interests backing his Republican opponent.

"Just get out there and tell the truth and speak from the heart for economic justice and against war and stop with all this bulls---. C'mon man. You're smarter than this."

In another gaffe earlier this week, Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., accidentally referred to himself as a 'lifelong Republican' before immediately correcting himself.

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, meanwhile, upset some conservatives with an ad portraying a fictional young White male Medicaid recipient named "Brad" as a gamer who chooses not to work. Some critics accused Sanders of choosing a White male character to avoid depicting demographic groups they said receive government assistance at higher rates."