‘Absolutely Gross’: A Texas Republican Erupted on Fox News Over Crockett’s Take on Karmelo Anthony — One Word Later He Was the One Getting Called a Racist
GOP Rep. Brandon Gill went on a fiery Fox News rant targeting fellow Texas congresswoman Jasmine Crockett over her comments about the sentence handed down in the Karmelo Anthony case, but the exchange quickly backfired when viewers fixated on a remark that shifted the spotlight onto him.
In an interview on Fox News on Friday, June 12, Gil called out Crockett, a Democrat, for speaking out in support of Anthony’s claims of self-defense and accused Crockett of using race to further divide people over the case.
Anthony is Black, the victim, Austin Metcalf was white.
“It’s absolutely gross,” an angry Gill declared.
“But what disappoints me the most is that you’ve got people in power — Jasmine Crockett, for instance, one of my fellow congresswomen — who is a race-baiting thug,” he continued, not realizing the comment would quickly turn the conversation back on him.
Gill went on to claim Crockett suggested Americans should sympathize with Anthony “because he’s Black, not for any other reason, but because he’s Black.”
“That’s the kind of stuff that leads to this racial divisiveness,” he added.
Social media disagreed, angrily labeling Gill himself a “racist.”
“Nahh you’re just a racist that hates POC. Good thing Anthony’s family has already filed an appeal- because of the racism and unfair trial he faced,” X user Bobert declared.
Another pointed out, “Brandon wants SO bad to use a different word than ‘hooligans’ that it almost seems like that was an autocorrect from his phone. ‘Hey, you look like you’re trying to sound super bigoted, maybe save some face until you’re at a donor dinner?’”
This poster didn’t hold back. “You’re the biggest race baiter in the game you cynical f-ck. Who went to Dartmouth.”
Anthony, who was 17 when he stabbed the also 17-year-old Metcalf at a track meet in Collin County, Texas, was convicted of murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison Wednesday, June 10.
Gill’s comments followed Crockett’s support for the teen’s claims of self-defense on her podcast Tuesday, June 9.
“If a 300-pound man is beating me, like on top of me and beating me down, I’m not limited to fists,” the congresswoman explained, referring to the size difference between the smaller Anthony and Metcalf.
“Cuz I’m telling you right now, if you were twice my weight and got way more strength than me and you got me pinned down, I don’t believe I’m going to survive,” Crockett said.
And she responded to the verdict on Thursday saying she was heart-broken and pointed to the condition of the American justice system.
“I know that our systems are broken, and what we saw with that verdict is the evidence of a broken system,” she stated.
She pointed out that Anthony stabbed Metcalf once after Metcalf pushed him and that he didn’t stab him dozens of times and it wasn’t premeditated.
“And so, when you’re looking at the punishment range, there’s a reason in Texas that it goes from five to 99 or life because you are looking at how intentional, like how bad was this 35 years for a kid who had decided to go under a tent that was not his team’s tent, as it was raining,” she continued.
Crockett blamed racism for Anthony’s long sentence.
“Listen, a lot of people don’t know what it is to live as a Black person in this country, but just like you can give the benefit of the doubt to so many police officers when they go out and they shoot some Black unarmed person, even though they are trained, the fact that there was little to no mercy seen or humanity seen when this black boy said that I was scared,” Crockett said shaking her head.
Crockett said the county Anthony was prosecuted in made a difference in his conviction and sentencing and said she’d “guarantee” a white boy in the same position would not have received a 35-year prison term.
She also pointed to the fact that there were no African-Americans on the jury.
“I would guarantee you, would guarantee it wouldn’t have happened. I don’t even know if he would have been convicted because if a white boy would have said that they were afraid of a black boy, something tells me that that jury that didn’t have any black people on it, they would have believed him in his fear,” she added.
The jury deliberated just three hours before returning a verdict, convicting Anthony of murder. He filed an appeal the next day.