Veteran journalist Jim Acosta said Sen. Eric Schmitt (R-Mo.) should be "hiding in a cave" after the Missouri Republican's crafted conspiracy theory involving Jack Smith — the former Justice Department special counsel who investigated Trump's efforts to overturn the 2020 election — and Atlanta collapsed in under four minutes on national television Tuesday.

The senator's on-air plant drew widespread mockery, and by Wednesday, as the fallout continued, a broader discussion had emerged about the way news and information silos generate falsehoods. While many public figures might feel humiliated by such a moment, Schmitt — a former Missouri attorney general who won his Senate seat in 2022 — and right-wing influencers and media outlets spent the following 24 hours trying to recast the episode as reasonable. Acosta, a former CNN chief White House correspondent who covered the Trump administration, said he did not understand why.

"I just don't get why, you know, Eric Schmitt is not just, like, hiding in a cave today," Acosta said. "... I mean. I've covered Washington a long time. That is probably the most, like, epic fail, step-on-a-rake blunder I've ever witnessed in Washington political theater. And there's been some bad political theater since I've been covering politics."

"I mean, it was a real show, no question about it," Acosta added, shaking his head. "And, you know, they try to turn it upside down on conservative social media and, you know, shame on those guys on The Charlie Kirk Show."

He agreed the episode highlights a major problem with the information bubble, in which people become trapped in spaces where they ultimately never see moments like this because conservative media will bury them or twist them. It left him wondering whether this incident had become so big that it might have leaked through.

"If you look at that Katie Britt video, I mean, I saw somebody on social media timed that to the 'Curb Your Enthusiasm' theme music," he said.

The reference was twofold: to Sen. Katie Britt (R-Ala.), whose widely mocked 2024 Republican response to the State of the Union became an enduring political meme, and to "Curb Your Enthusiasm," the long-running HBO comedy created by and starring Larry David, whose theme music has become a staple soundtrack for online clips of awkward, self-inflicted political moments.

The comparison echoed a Bluesky post from Jeremy Fassler, who wrote: "Katie Britt watching Eric Schmitt destroy his career, brought to you by Larry David."

"Katie Britt watching Eric Schmitt destroy his career, brought to you by Larry David." — Jeremy Fassler (@jfassler.bsky.social), September 29, 2026 at 7:40 PM (Bluesky)

Acosta said his greater concern was that the spectacle had overshadowed the substance.

"My concern is that what took place yesterday sort of overshadowed what should have been the central focus, which is Donald Trump very likely, according to Jack Smith, did commit crimes in trying to overturn a free and fair election in this country, for which he has never really been held accountable," he continued.

Smith made clear, Acosta noted, that if the U.S. Supreme Court and Chief Justice John Roberts had not stepped in to save him, "Donald Trump could be in a jail cell right now, but he's the president of the United States instead." The Supreme Court's July 2024 ruling in Trump v. United States recognized broad immunity for presidents' official acts, pushing the federal election case past the 2024 election. Acosta described Smith as "very eloquent, articulate," and said his "perfectly pitched presentation was sort of overshadowed by Eric Schmitt making a fool out of himself. That was, I think, the only thing that is regrettable about yesterday."