WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Dallas, faces criticism from Republicans after referring to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott as “governor hot wheels.”
Abbott has used a wheelchair since he was partially paralyzed as a young man in 1984 when a tree fell on him.
Crockett brought up Texas while speaking Saturday at a Human Rights Campaign dinner in Los Angeles.
“Y’all know we got governor hot wheels down there,” she said.
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Abbott aides did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
On Tuesday, Republicans strongly criticized Crockett as her weekend comments began to circulate online. Conservative commentators and politicians were quick to condemn them.
“Jasmine Crockett is despicable,” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton posted on X in response to a clip of her HRC comment.
Crockett told The Dallas Morning News that Republicans are talking about her in order to distract people.
She said the public should be focused on how top national security officials inadvertently shared war plans to a group chat on the secure messaging app Signal that included journalist Jeffrey Goldberg.
“The Republicans are good at distractions,” Crockett said. “Because we know that what anybody of sound mind should be talking about is the fact that this Signal thread went awry. That’s what we should be talking about. So it’s a really bad day for them when they are focused on a speech that I gave at HRC.”
That Signal thread reportedly included Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA director John Ratcliffe, a former Republican congressman from Texas.
Serving her second term in Congress, Crockett has emerged as a rising star in the Democratic party. She traveled throughout the country last year as a national co-chair of former Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign for the White House.
Her no-holds barred approach to politics has produced viral online moments, including her rhetorical sparring matches with Republican colleagues such as U.S. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia and Nancy Mace of South Carolina.
The National Republican Congressional Committee, the campaign arm of House Republicans, highlighted Crockett’s latest comments and described them as nasty playground bullying.
“Jasmine Crockett is the perfect spokesperson for today’s Democrats — out of touch and completely unhinged,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement posted online. “When you’ve got no message and no agenda, all that’s left is hate.”
U.S. Rep. Randy Weber, R-Friendswood, told Fox News Digital he would introduce a censure resolution against Crockett.
“The story of our great governor of Texas is one of unwavering resilience and perseverance. Meanwhile, the actions of Jasmine Crockett – stooping to vile levels of discrimination and despicable political attacks – are nothing short of reprehensible,” Weber said, according to the outlet.
During the heart of her Saturday night dinner remarks, Crockett talked about her support for the LGBTQ community. She encouraged the audience to never give up in the face of political setbacks and keep fighting for their cause, assuring them better days are ahead.
When Crockett first took the microphone, she started her remarks by apparently alluding to her penchant for going off script and sparking controversy.
“And y’all just pray for me, because who knows what I’m going to end up saying,” Crockett said.
