SouthernWorldwide.com – Representative Jasmine Crockett ignited a heated exchange with Republicans, labeling their party as predominantly “White” and accusing them of leveraging a member of Martin Luther King Jr.’s family as a shield. This occurred during a hearing that scrutinized the Southern Poverty Law Center’s funding of hate groups.
Crockett, who is not seeking re-election next year after an unsuccessful Senate bid, sharply criticized Republicans for their outcry over the SPLC. She argued they were overlooking “the literal elephant in the room” – a reference to Alveda King, the more conservative niece of Martin Luther King Jr.
She disparaged civil rights activist Alveda King, deeming her a right-wing prop. Crockett further alleged that Republicans were attempting to mislead the public into believing a “Doctor King” was criticizing the SPLC’s work. Alveda King subsequently questioned if Crockett had implied she was a “bastard” of the King name.
“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 stated.
She asserted that people of color do not feel welcomed in the GOP. “And that’s why you have to parade someone who has the name ‘Doctor King’ attached to them so people can be confused,” Crockett added.
Notably, Republican Representative Wesley Hunt, also a Black Texan, was present on the committee’s dais. Earlier in the proceedings, Hunt had pointedly questioned SPLC leader Bryan Fair. Hunt frequently dismisses discussions of race-based partisanship by humorously remarking that he has been “Black my entire life.”
Crockett accused Republicans of hypocrisy in their claims about the SPLC funding hate groups. She pointed to a discredited assertion regarding President Donald Trump’s remarks following the 2017 White supremacist rally in Charlottesville.
She recalled Trump saying there were “fine people on both sides.” However, Crockett omitted that Trump later clarified he was referring to a community group opposing the removal of Gen. Robert E. Lee’s statue, a gathering that preceded the neo-Nazi violence that erupted later that day.
Crockett then claimed that social media users were inquiring about the identity of the “Doctor King” speaking against the SPLC as the hearing progressed. She suggested Republicans aimed to create the impression that the historic Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. would have supported their stance.
Crockett proposed that Republicans would have been better served by inviting Martin Luther King III, who supported Obama, or his sister Bernice King to the hearing. She implied they would better understand the civil rights icon’s teachings and positions than Alveda King.
Before her allotted time concluded, Crockett accused King and Republicans of “caping” for murdered activist Charlie Kirk. She quoted a controversial statement made by the Turning Point USA founder concerning the Civil Rights Act.
She also contended that Republicans summoned Fair and King before the committee as a diversionary tactic. This, she argued, was to distract from their failure to hold a hearing examining associates of the deceased financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
When House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, concluded Crockett’s time and yielded the floor to Representative Russell Fry, R-S.C., Fry provided King with an opportunity to respond.
“I am a bit emotional,” King stated regarding Crockett’s accusations. “I’m going to watch what I say.”
Crockett did not appear to look back at Alveda King. She was briefly observed closing her notebook as she prepared to stand.
“It seems as though you (Crockett) have suggested that I am 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 declared.
Rev. A.D. King was the brother of Martin Luther King Jr.
“We are a family who loves God. And I love you, God bless you,” King said before yielding back to Fry.
Fry then announced that, off-camera, Crockett had swiftly departed the room before King could offer a substantive response to her remarks.
