Schmitt's monstrous gaffe may have just cost his aide a White House job

Systemic Error Podcast · Oct 3, 2026 · 3m

What happened

AlterNet, citing Politico, reports that Ethan Harper, general counsel to Republican Sen. Eric Schmitt of Missouri, was expected to leave the senator’s office on Friday and join the White House Staff Secretary’s office the following week. After a Tuesday Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, however, three anonymous sources said the move was in doubt. Neither outlet established that the job had been formally withdrawn.

At the hearing, Schmitt tried to connect former special counsel Jack Smith with Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis by claiming Smith had attended an Atlanta…