“Right vs. Wrong”: Rep. Jasmine Crockett Fires Back at AG Pam Bondi Over Retribution Threats and the “Politicization” of Justice

Pam Bondi warns Jasmine Crockett to 'tread very carefully' in what she says  about Elon Musk - POLITICO

WASHINGTON D.C. — In a fiery display of legislative defiance, Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) took to the House Judiciary subcommittee floor to issue a blistering rebuttal to Attorney General Pam Bondi. Addressing what she described as a “sharp incline” in death threats against members of Congress, Crockett slammed the nation’s top law enforcement officer for using media platforms to target sitting legislators, calling the move a dangerous escalation of “retribution politics.”

The exchange follows a series of public comments by AG Bondi on Fox News—which Crockett mockingly dubbed “Faux News”—where the Attorney General reportedly signaled potential legal or investigative consequences for Crockett’s recent political speech.

A Culture of Threats

Crockett began her remarks by finding a rare moment of common ground with the subcommittee chairman, acknowledging that regardless of party affiliation, the level of vitriol and danger facing elected officials has reached an unsustainable peak.

“We both know and agree that as sitting members of Congress, we both are enduring more death threats than anybody should in this country,” Crockett stated. However, she pivoted quickly to lay the blame for this environment at the feet of the current administration’s leadership. “To have the sitting Attorney General go on Fox News and then decide that she wanted to send a threat to me… it was wrong.”

Crockett argued that when the “highest law enforcement agent in this country” uses their platform to target individuals for exercising free speech, it signals to the public that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has moved from impartial enforcement to a tool for political vendettas.

“Legislators, Not Litigators”

A significant portion of Crockett’s speech was dedicated to reminding her colleagues of their constitutional mandate. She criticized the House Judiciary Committee’s recent focus on relitigating past events and targeting political enemies rather than drafting policy.

“I think some of my colleagues have confused what our jobs are,” Crockett said. “We are here to be legislators, which means we are supposed to be writing laws, not trying to have our own trials and determine whether or not something is true… or who should be sued.”

Invoking the words of Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), who recently broke a record for holding the Senate floor, Crockett emphasized that the national discourse needs to shift from “left versus right” to “right versus wrong.”

The Musk Controversy and Free Speech

Crockett did not shy away from the comments that originally drew Bondi’s ire: her public criticism of billionaire Elon Musk. Reaffirming her stance, Crockett labeled Musk a “problem” and a “crook,” citing his influence over federal contracts and his use of private security.

She defended her right to support peaceful protests against him, noting that she specifically advised protesters to “consult with lawyers” to ensure they remained within the bounds of the law.

“The fact that there are other sitting members that have received letters of threat from this new DOJ tells me that they are about retribution and they are not about following the law,” Crockett warned.

A Defense of DEI and Representation

The Congresswoman also touched on the administration’s ongoing “railing against diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI).” Sharing a personal anecdote from her start as a public defender, she described telling her first boss to hire her because she was Black—not as a plea for a handout, but as a promise of a unique perspective and the ability to build rapport with a diverse community.

“I worked my butt off and I worked really, really hard for all of my clients, not just those that look like me,” she said. “That is what it looks like to serve.”

The Verdict on Retribution

In her closing remarks, Crockett addressed the narrative of “political” indictments regarding the former president. She reminded the room that the four indictments and subsequent state-level convictions were the result of grand juries and trial juries composed of ordinary citizens.

“What is political is when somebody says they are going to come back and seek retribution,” Crockett concluded. “What is political is firing people because they simply were following the evidence and doing their jobs.”

As the DOJ continues its transition under new leadership, Crockett’s remarks serve as a stark warning from the opposition: the line between law enforcement and political warfare has become dangerously thin, and the “good old days” of legislative decorum are long gone.