Rep. Jasmine Crockett Issues Sharp Comeback to Attorney General Pam Bondi Who Warned Her to ‘Tread Very Carefully’ Over Call for Elon Musk Takedown

Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett fired back at former Attorney General Pam Bondi on Sunday after Bondi cautioned her to “tread very carefully” over her recent calls for Tesla and Elon Musk to be “taken down.” 

Bondi’s warning came amid a violent wave of backlash over Elon Musk’s aggressive cuts to the federal government, suggesting Crockett should tone down the rhetoric following a speech she gave at a virtual rally for The Tesla Takedown movement, a group opposing Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.

“She is an elected public official, so she needs to tread very carefully because nothing will happen to Elon Musk, and we’re going to fight to protect all of the Tesla owners throughout this country,” Bondi said during an appearance on Fox’s “Sunday Morning Futures.”

With Musk’s flagship business facing massive losses, President Donald Trump has pressured Bondi to aggressively prosecute the vandals to the fullest extent of the law.

Bondi expressed outrage over Crockett’s comments as the anti-Musk coalition plans to stage 500 demonstrations at Tesla locations nationwide on March 29.

During the virtual rally, Crockett emphasized that her calls for action were strictly nonviolent.

“On March 29, it’s my birthday, and all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down,” Crockett said during her remarks. “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 added in part, “We know that we are peaceful, loving people, and this is not about violence.” 

Following Bondi’s visceral reaction, the Texas congresswoman said her comments were taken out of context.

“Yeah, so I’m actually going to say that I participated in a Tesla Takedown—that is the name of the website,” Crockett told the host. “And it was all about this large protest that they’re calling for and this is a nonviolent protest that they’re calling for. And, in fact, when I was on there, which is why the attorney general had to say that I wasn’t calling for violence, and it’s ridiculous that I even have to say something like that.”

The feud with Crockett erupted days after Bondi labeled vandalism on Tesla cars and dealerships as “domestic terrorism” in what many critics labeled a heavy-handed response to the protest strikes against Musk’s brand.

Tesla vehicles have been set on fire and vandalized with hostile imagery across the country, with reports of private Tesla owners targeted, death threats, break-ins at Tesla facilities, and a cyberattack that KO’d Musk’s social media platform two weeks ago. 

Three people have since been charged for allegedly vandalizing Tesla cars and properties, though it remains to be seen whether they will face federal penalties.

However, on Sunday, Bondi indicated, “We are not coming off these charges. We are looking at everything, especially if this is a concerted effort.”

The controversy was setting Washington ablaze, with Bondi and Crockett exchanging barbs over the airwaves, with lawmakers on both sides divided over whose side to choose.

Bondi then escalated the clash during Sunday’s appearance on Fox with Maria Bartiromo, where she defended Musk and Tesla.

“And Maria, now you have this congresswoman, Crockett, who is calling for attacks on Elon Musk on her birthday,” Bondi complained. “Let’s take him out on my birthday, she says. And yet she turns and says, oh, I’m not calling for violence.”

Bondi then added, “Nothing will happen to Elon,” while accusing Crockett of supporting “domestic terrorism.”

Later that day, Crockett brushed off Bondi’s warning on MSNBC, where host Alex Witt played the Fox News clip and asked the Texas lawmaker for her response.

Crockett suggested Bondi was playing political games and had intentionally twisted her words.

Even so, Crockett said she was “excited to see that Elon Musk, that his money as it relates to Tesla, well, Tesla is tanking right now and I’m okay with that.”

Crockett then signed off by setting the record straight on her position and landing a direct blow to the heart of MAGA in the process.

“So just in case the slow people listening decide to pick this up later, I just want to say that I have never promoted violence whatsoever, she continued. “Yet I’ve also never made excuses for those violent acts, such as the ones on January 6th. So Pam Bondi, if you have an issue with terrorism, maybe you should talk to your boss about locking back up those guys that he let out that participated in January 6th.”

The political backlash has been fierce over Musk’s slash-and-burn approach, which saw tens of thousands of federal employees fired, although courts have ordered the Trump administration to rescind many of the terminations, citing arbitrary processes that were illegal.

Trump was forced to placate his Cabinet secretaries after they complained in a Cabinet meeting that Musk has been bypassing their authority with his attempts to dictate staffing and policy decisions within their agencies.

Trump himself is facing mounting disapproval, with Republican voters among his loudest critics. Recent polls show more than half the country is dissatisfied with Trump’s performance so far, particularly as he has yet to fulfill his promise of lowering consumer prices on day one.

Meanwhile, Musk has continued to spark anger with his political theatrics — including a hand gesture at Trump’s inauguration that critics condemned as reminiscent of the Nazi salute — which fueled waves of anti-fascist protests, with Tesla cars defaced and his dealerships vandalized. More recently, Musk took the stage at a conservative gathering outside Washington, waving a chainsaw in the air — a tone-deaf display as tens of thousands across the country reeled from job losses.

Musk’s deepening ties to far-right ideology and his platform’s open embrace of extremism have also taken a toll on his bottom line, with the bleeding showing no signs of abating. 

Since Trump took office, Tesla sales have plunged across key global markets, with European sales falling by nearly 50 percent in January and China sales plummeting 49 percent in February. In Germany — Tesla’s largest European market — sales cratered by a staggering 76 percent.

Tesla’s stock has collapsed to its lowest level since Trump’s victory, erasing more than $100 billion in market value and stripping over $105 billion from Musk’s net worth.

Last month, a hacker breached government TV broadcasts to display an AI-generated video of Trump kneeling to kiss Musk’s feet — framing Musk as the true power behind the presidency. The stunt underscored growing criticism that Musk’s multi-million-dollar donations to Trump’s campaign had effectively put him back in power, while Trump was deeply indebted to Musk for helping him avoid prison time.

When more signs of economic trouble for Musk became apparent this month, Trump swiftly declared his intention to buy a brand-new Tesla, then blamed the company’s stock plunge on “radical Left lunatics” orchestrating an “illegal and collusive” boycott. Trump later showcased several Tesla vehicles in front of the White House in an apparent marketing campaign to shore up support for Musk’s brand.