The right’s determination to silence Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett was evident on two fronts Monday.
The influential Libs of TikTok X account posted a clip of Crockett discussing the future of the Democratic Party, claiming “she says to ‘punch’ your opponents and calls to knock Ted Cruz over the head. Rep Jasmine Crocket is explicitly calling for violence. She needs to be investigated.”
Crockett’s comments can only be interpreted as violent if you take every word literally. Politicians are fond of violent metaphors. How many times did Donald Trump urge his followers to “fight like hell”?
In an interview with Dallas’ NBC affiliate, Crockett was asked how Democrats can win statewide office in Texas, among the country’s reddest states.
“I think you punch. I think you’re OK with punching,” she said, before referencing former football player Colin Allred’s 2024 election loss to GOP senator Ted Cruz. “It’s Ted Cruz. I mean this dude needs to be knocked over the head hard. There’s no niceties with him.”
Crockett has also been wrongly accused of inciting violence against Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk in remarks the congresswoman made last week.
She said she wanted Musk “taken down” but was clearly not promoting violence against the billionaire carmaker. Crockett insisted she was endorsing nonviolent demonstration and instructed participants in the “Tesla Takedown” to follow local laws. Tesla lots and showrooms have been beset with incidents of arson and graffiti in recent weeks, and some Trump supporters have tried to connect Crockett to the property damage.
On Sunday, she again emphasized her call for nonviolent action on Sunday, the same day Attorney General Pam Bondi warned Crockett to “tread very carefully” following her comments to the “Tesla Takedown” protesters.
“On March 29, it’s my birthday, and all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down,” Crockett said during her remarks. “I have learned, as I serve on the DOGE Oversight committee, that there is only one language that the people that are in charge understand right now, and that language is money.”
She added, “We know that we are peaceful, loving people, and this is not about violence.” Crockett also reminded Bondi that Trump’s pardon of the Jan. 6 rioters served as an endorsement of violent protest.
The attorney general responded on Monday by demanding Crockett apologize for those comments.
“Words have consequences,” Bondi said in an interview with Sean Hannity. “And what happened after she said that about Elon Musk — she’s a Texan — and in her own home state after she said that, this morning, three explosive devices were found in Austin, Texas.
“So she needs to unequivocally denounce the violence,” Bondi continued. “She must apologize immediately not only to all Texans, but to our country, to the American shareholders of Tesla because she is promoting violence.”
Meanwhile, Crockett has also been in hot water for comments she made in a speech over the weekend about Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s wheelchair at the Human Rights Campaign’s 2025 Los Angeles dinner on March 24.
“We in these hot-ass Texas streets, honey. Y’all know we got Governor Hot Wheels down there, Come on now! And the only thing hot about him is that he is a hot ass mess, honey!” Crockett reportedly said.
Critics have accused Crockett of being ableist and of mocking the governor.
