Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s latest remarks about convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony have landed the Texas Democrat in the middle of yet another political storm — and handed Republicans fresh ammunition in the ongoing battle over race, crime and accountability.
Hooligans, like Jasmine Crockett, supporting Karmelo Anthony and targeting the Metcalf family after the murder of their son are nothing but race baiting thugs. pic.twitter.com/m06tfttahe
— Brandon Gill (@realBrandonGill) June 12, 2026
Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s latest remarks about convicted murderer Karmelo Anthony have landed the Texas Democrat in the middle of yet another political storm — and handed Republicans fresh ammunition in the ongoing battle over race, crime and accountability.
The uproar erupted just days after Anthony, a Texas teenager, was convicted in the fatal stabbing of fellow student Austin Metcalf and sentenced to 35 years behind bars. Prosecutors argued that Anthony committed a senseless killing during a confrontation at a high school track meet in Frisco, Texas. Defense attorneys insisted their client acted in self-defense, but jurors weren’t persuaded, returning a murder conviction after only a few hours of deliberation.
Despite the verdict, Anthony quickly moved to appeal the conviction and requested court-appointed legal representation.
Enter Crockett.
Just hours after the sentencing, the Democratic congresswoman used her podcast platform to voice support for Anthony’s self-defense argument, suggesting that deadly force can be justified when someone fears for their life against a physically stronger opponent.
“If a 300-pound man is beating me, like on top of me and beating me down, I’m not limited to fists,” Crockett said. “Cuz I’m telling you right now, if you were twice my weight and got way more strength than me and you got me pinned down, I don’t believe I’m going to survive.”
She continued by drawing a comparison to George Floyd’s death, adding: “And when you look at like George Floyd, like George Floyd died, and they never took out a quote-unquote weapon. So this idea you can’t die is wild, right?”
Those comments immediately drew criticism from conservatives who viewed them as an attempt to recast a case that had already been decided by a jury after hearing all the evidence.
Among the sharpest critics was fellow Texan Rep. Brandon Gill, who appeared on Fox News and accused Crockett of injecting race into the discussion rather than focusing on the facts of the case.
Gill argued that Crockett was effectively asking Americans to sympathize with Anthony because of his race rather than because of the legal merits of his defense.
“Stating quite plainly, very recently, that the American people ought to have sympathy for Karmelo Anthony because he is black, not for any other reason, but because he is black. That’s the kind of stuff that leads to this racial divisiveness,” Gill said.
