Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, is now reportedly facing renewed criticism after making a series of controversial remarks about the murder of Texas teenager Austin Metcalf, just one day after the man convicted in the case was sentenced.
Crockett discussed the case during an episode of her podcast, Clock It With Crockett, on Tuesday. The discussion came only hours after 19-year-old Karmelo Anthony received a 35-year prison sentence for the fatal stabbing of Metcalf at a high school track meet in 2025.
The case has attracted national attention since the killing occurred and has remained a flashpoint in debates surrounding race, crime, and justice. During the podcast, Crockett argued that many Black women, particularly those raising Black sons, experience a level of fear and anxiety that she believes many others do not fully understand.
“Black women — especially Black women who have Black male children — live in fear and agony every single day,” Crockett said. “A fear and agony that I promise you, the Metcalfs probably never spent a day living that way.”
The congresswoman said the case demonstrated the need for what she described as “real conversations about race in this country.” She also argued that Black Americans should focus on ways they can “protect ourselves.”
Earlier in the discussion, Crockett appeared to suggest that she might have reacted similarly if she had been in Anthony’s position. While making that argument, she described a scenario in which a much larger person was physically overpowering someone.
“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.
However, details presented during the case differed significantly from that description. Reports cited in coverage of the trial indicated that Metcalf stood 6 feet tall and weighed approximately 200 pounds, while Anthony was listed at 5 feet 11 inches and 162 pounds.
Crockett continued by arguing that a person can face a deadly threat even without a weapon being involved, referencing George Floyd during her comments.
The congresswoman also questioned the nature of the knife used in the attack and appeared to minimize its significance. After a guest suggested it was similar to a Swiss Army knife, Crockett responded by saying that based on its size alone, she would not necessarily have viewed it as a deadly weapon.
Trial testimony and reporting on the case established that Anthony stabbed Metcalf with a knife after a confrontation that began when Anthony entered a tent being used by Metcalf’s track team. Witnesses testified that Anthony warned Metcalf, “Touch me, see what happens.”
According to testimony cited by Fox News, the verbal dispute escalated after Metcalf touched or shoved Anthony. Witnesses described Anthony as the aggressor and said Metcalf appeared unwilling to fight. The stabbing proved fatal, and Metcalf later died from his injuries in the arms of his twin brother, Hunter.
Crockett also questioned why Metcalf had confronted Anthony in the first place, asking why he was “rolling up on somebody and being like, ‘Get out!’” She further suggested that White Americans are becoming increasingly emboldened and connected that belief to broader cultural tensions.
Her remarks came on the same day Fox News correspondent Brooke Taylor reported hearing racially charged statements from some Anthony supporters gathered outside the courthouse in McKinney, Texas. One woman described the case as a “legal lynching” and accused Austin Metcalf and his brother of being “domestic, racist terrorists.”
The comments stood in sharp contrast to remarks made by Austin’s father, Jeff Metcalf, during his victim impact statement.
“This was never about race or politics,” Metcalf said. “But what you did was to choose to make it about both.”
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