Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) suggested this week that poverty can drive people to commit certain crimes, arguing during a podcast interview that prosecutions are not always justified when offenses involve basic survival needs.
Speaking Wednesday on the Grounded podcast, Crockett, a former public defender, explained there is “a direct link between poverty and susceptibility to having to engage in certain things.” She insisted that not all people in poverty turn to crime, but maintained that circumstances often push individuals toward unlawful acts.
“There are crimes that are committed, not because people are criminals, but because they literally are trying to survive,” Crockett stated. She went on to cite Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot, who in past remarks suggested that his office would not prosecute low-level theft cases involving food, diapers, or other necessities. Crockett noted Creuzot “probably shouldn’t have said it out loud,” but nonetheless agreed with the approach, adding that “there is no good point in doing it because a decent defense attorney would have a defense.”
Crockett has become known for making radical statements on crime, politics, and the Trump administration. On the same day the podcast interview was released, she claimed during an MSNBC appearance that President Donald Trump was “unlawfully going into various minority controlled cities” with the National Guard.
In July, she told The Atlantic that her large social media following made her the best candidate to lead Democrats on the House Oversight Committee, though she ultimately lost that race to Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA). She also drew headlines in another July interview for asserting that “all violence” in American politics comes from Trump supporters, a claim contradicted by recent left-wing attacks. Earlier this year, she accused Republicans of advancing “demonic” policies during a heated committee exchange on keeping men out of women’s sports.
Crockett, first elected in 2022, has been praised by Democratic activists, including then-DNC vice chair David Hogg, who in May described her as “the type of leader we’re looking to support.”
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