Pam Bondi Issues Stern Warning to Jasmine Crockett: 'Tread Very Carefully'
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi cautioned Representative Jasmine Crockett on Sunday, urging her to "tread very carefully" after the Texas Democrat suggested Department of Government Efficiency head Elon Musk should be "taken down"—a remark she made on her birthday.
Crockett took part in a nationwide call last Thursday with the Tesla Takedown movement, a group that describes itself as a "peaceful protest platform." The movement encourages Tesla owners to sell their cars and investors to divest from the electric vehicle company, according to a report by Fox News.
Despite its stated peaceful intentions, the movement has coincided with several acts of vandalism and violence targeting Tesla. Recent incidents include gunfire aimed at a Tesla dealership in Portland, Oregon; Tesla Cybertrucks being torched in Seattle; charging stations firebombed in South Carolina; and graffiti with the word "Nazi" and other messages spray-painted on Tesla showrooms and vehicles in Colorado.
During the Tesla Takedown call, Crockett acknowledged the upcoming "Global Day of Action" and remarked, "On March 29, it’s my birthday." She then stated, "All I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down."
She elaborated further, saying, "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."
Crockett’s specific mention of Musk being "taken down"—rather than just Tesla—drew Bondi’s attention.
"Now you have this congresswoman, Crockett, who is calling for attacks on Elon Musk on her birthday. ‘Let’s take him out on my birthday,’ she says, and yet she turns and says, ‘Oh, I’m not calling for violence,'" Bondi told Fox News.
She continued, "She is an elected public official, and so she needs to tread very carefully, because nothing will happen to Elon Musk, and we are going to fight to protect all of the Tesla owners throughout this country."
Bondi emphasized, "Domestic terrorism is going to come to a stop in our country."
She also pointed out that "people need to know that the three people in custody right now… will receive severe and swift consequences … We are not coming off these charges. We are looking at everything, especially if this is a concerted effort. This is domestic terrorism."
In response, Crockett defended her remarks on MSNBC later that Sunday, clarifying that the movement’s name itself is Tesla Takedown.
"This is a nonviolent protest," she stated.
"I have never promoted violence whatsoever," she insisted. "Yet I’ve never made excuses for those violent actors such as the ones on Jan. 6th."
Crockett then called on Bondi to ensure that those involved in the January 6, 2021, Capitol protests face renewed legal consequences.
However, statistics from the Biden Justice Department last year indicate that most individuals charged and convicted in connection with January 6 did not commit acts of violence.
Shortly after assuming office, President Donald Trump issued pardons or commuted the sentences of all participants in the January 6 protest.