A conspiracy theory that raced through pro-Trump media circles collapsed on Tuesday, prompting Fox News host Sean Hannity to quietly delete a social media post that had promoted it.

Hannity's post accused former special prosecutor Jack Smith of having contact with a prosecutor investigating President Donald Trump for attempted election subversion while attending an NBA game in Atlanta.
The accusation was set in motion earlier in the day, when Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-MO) confronted Smith before live cameras. Schmitt said he possessed text messages from Smith's team showing that Smith had been in Atlanta in February 2024, one day after District Attorney Fani Willis admitted a relationship with co-worker Nathan Wade.

"What would you say if I had a series of text messages from your team that said you were in Atlanta at a Warriors Hawks game the day after Willis and Wade announced their affair," Schmitt said, adding: "I don't think you know that we have this stuff, I'll give you a second to process it."

No processing was required. Smith promptly dismantled the accusation by explaining that he had attended an entirely different game. Critics noted that the senator appeared to have confused the NBA's Atlanta Hawks with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes.

Journalists were quick to highlight members of the MAGA echo chamber who had fired before understanding their target. "Are you going to update this tweet now that it is clear the senator mixed up the Atlanta Hawks with the Iowa Hawkeyes? I mean, this is absurd stuff," wrote Tangle News founder Isaac Saul, addressing former Fox News reporter Catherine Herridge, who had claimed Smith "seemed off balance" and "taken aback when Schmitt said he was bringing receipts" of memos, transcripts and texts.

Hannity had already quietly deleted his own version of the accusation hours later that Tuesday, without apology or explanation. "Clearly the talking points and marching orders were sent out to push this story before it was revealed that Schmitt either lied or was embarrassingly wrong and confused the Atlanta Hawks with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes," one critic said on X.

Other media figures had preserved the evidence. Brian Beutler of The New Republic screenshotted Hannity's claim and reposted it after its sudden disappearance. The screenshots preserved the wording of a claim that was no longer available on Hannity's account. "Here's a deleted tweet from Hannity, who won't admit error, won't chastise Schmitt, and won't lose stature with anyone on the right, including the most of the blue-check community on this website," Beutler wrote. "This is what you all like about him!"

Not everyone in the online MAGA community moved as quickly. Right-wing online personality Benny Johnson failed to delete his own post repeating Schmitt's claim. "Are you really this ignorant or just pretending to be," one commenter asked beneath Johnson's lingering post.

This article was originally published by Alternet.