Bondi Warns Crockett To ‘Tread Carefully’ Over Call For Musk To Be ‘Taken Down’
Attorney General Pam Bondi has issued a caution to Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett, urging her to “tread very carefully” after Crockett suggested that Elon Musk should be “taken down.”
“She is an elected public official, so she needs to tread very carefully because nothing will happen to Elon Musk, and we are going to fight to protect all the Tesla owners throughout this country,” Bondi declared during an appearance on Fox News.
Bondi reaffirmed her determination to address the increasing attacks against Tesla owners and dealerships, which have included incidents of vandalism, such as setting electric vehicles on fire and defacing them with offensive messages.
Crockett faced backlash after her comments during a nationwide virtual meeting with the Tesla Takedown movement—a group that describes itself as a “peaceful protest platform” advocating for Tesla stockholders to sell their shares and Tesla owners to give up their cars.
“On March 29, it’s my birthday. All I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down,” Crockett stated, referencing her role on the DOGE Oversight Committee. She explained that the movement’s focus was on hitting back economically, saying, “there is only one language that the people that are in charge understand right now, and that language is money.”
Crockett later clarified that her call to action was “nonviolent” and focused on metaphorically “fighting” for democracy. “We know that we are peaceful, loving people, and this is not about violence,” she emphasized.
However, Republican leaders have accused Crockett of inciting violence against Tesla and its CEO.
In an effort to curb the attacks, the Justice Department has arrested three individuals suspected of vandalizing Tesla vehicles and damaging EV charging stations. These suspects could face up to 20 years in prison on charges of “domestic terrorism.”
Attorney General Pam Bondi took a firm stance on the matter, pledging that the Department of Justice would ensure that those responsible are held accountable.
In a previous Fox News interview, Bondi and host Will Cain discussed the uptick in attacks targeting Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and related swatting incidents.
“I want to ask you about these attacks on Tesla taking place across the country,” Cain said. “You’ve recently said that they are acts of domestic terrorism. Obviously, in bringing up the concept of domestic terrorism, I would think that opens up your department and the FBI into investigating who is funding these attacks. Are they organized? What can you tell us about all of this, which many are seeing on their screen right now, at Tesla dealerships? And it’s taking place all over the country.”
Bondi confirmed the scope of the attacks. “These attacks are taking place throughout our country. We have charged multiple people. Get ready, more are coming,” she said. “One we charged in Oregon is facing 5 to 20 years in prison. We filed in Colorado, we filed in South Carolina, there are more coming. And yes, the funding is one thing we are looking at, among many others. I was personally in a meeting about it this morning.”
She delivered a strong warning to those involved: “We are coming after you. We believe these are organized. These are not individuals out there throughout the country doing this on their own. They’re targeting Tesla owners, they’re targeting Tesla dealerships. They’re targeting Elon Musk, who is out there trying to save our country, and it will not be tolerated. We are coming after you. We will find you. And if you are an organized group who is funding this, we’re going to find you too. You better look out and you better stop it.”
Cain pressed further, asking, “And to be clear, you said you came out of a meeting this morning. At least to some extent, you are seeing some level of organization and behind-the-scenes funding that you can investigate and potentially prosecute?”
Bondi confirmed: “That’s — everything that we’re looking at, yes, we’re looking at all aspects of it. These are not isolated individual events.”
FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino echoed Bondi’s concerns on Wednesday, stating that the FBI is also investigating the series of attacks on Tesla vehicles and dealerships.
Meanwhile, President Donald Trump and other administration officials have condemned the incidents, describing them as acts of “domestic terrorism” in connection with Elon Musk’s role in DOGE-related federal cuts, according to Axios.