Rep. Jasmine Crockett exploded on Republicans, referring to them as a “majority…White” party before going on to accuse them of using a member of Civil Rights icon Martin Luther King Jr.’s family as a shield to protect themselves against allegations of racism leveled at them while interrogating the Southern Poverty Law Center’s funding of hate groups.
Crockett, who lost her bid for Senate and will be leaving Congress next year, slammed the GOP for being upset with the SPLC, while allegedly failing to address the “literal elephant in the room” — a reference to Martin Luther King Jr.’s right-leaning niece, Alveda King. Crockett then set her sights on King herself, referring to her as a right-wing prop.
The Texas Democrat then ripped into the GOP for allegedly attempting to dupe the public into believing a “Doctor King” was being critical of the SPLC’s work. Later on, King questioned whether Crockett was calling her a “bastard” of the King name, which is a fair question given the vitriol that the Democratic congresswoman spewed in her direction.
“The vast majority on that side of the aisle… are White men. White men are lecturing people of color because the vast majority, actually any semblance of diversity comes from this [Democratic] side of the aisle,” Crockett went on to say. She then claimed that people of color don’t feel welcome in the Republican Party “and that’s why you have to parade someone who has the name ‘Doctor King’ attached to them so people can be confused.”
Rep. Wesley Hunt (R-TX), who is black, was on the committee’s dais and questioned SPLC leader Bryan Fair earlier that same day. Hunt typically shuts down leftist talking points concerning race-based partisanship by wisecracking that he has been “Black my entire life,” according to Fox News. Crockett then called Republicans hypocrites for accusing the SPLC of funding hate groups, citing a debunked assertion about President Donald Trump’s comments following a White supremacist rally in Charlottesville back in 2017.
Crockett went on to claim that the president said there were “fine people on both sides,” but neglected to mention that he later clarified that he was making a reference to a community group opposing the tearing down of a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee, an event that took place before the neo-Nazi violence occurred later in the day.
“Crockett then claimed people on social media were wondering who the ‘Doctor King’ was who was speaking out against the SPLC as the hearing progressed, and that Republicans were trying to make the public think the historic Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would be on their side,” Fox News reported. The Texas Democrat then said the GOP would have done better to call Martin Luther King III or his sister Bernice King to the hearing, who were Obama fans, saying they understand MLK’s teachings better than Alveda.
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King later weighed in on Crockett’s comments, saying, “I am a bit emotional. I’m going to watch what I say.” Crockett did not look back at Alveda King and was seen closing her notebook as she prepared to stand up. “It seems as though you (Crockett) have suggested that I am a bastard to the King family legacy. I am legitimately the daughter of Reverend Alfred Daniel Williams King and Dr. Naomi Ruth Barber King,” Alveda King said. Crockett bounced out of the room before King could respond to her remarks.
Featured Image: screenshot from embedded video