Rep. Jasmine Crockett Faces Backlash for Defending Karmelo Anthony: ‘I’m Not Limited to Fists’

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) is facing backlash after suggesting on her podcast that she, too, would have stabbed Austin Metcalf, the 17-year-old killed by Karmelo Anthony at a Texas high school track meet last year.

During the Tuesday, June 9 episode of Clock It with Crockett, the failed Senate candidate made a series of inaccurate claims about the case while defending Anthony, who had just been convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Crockett downplayed the murder weapon, holding her thumb and forefinger about an inch apart to suggest the knife was small.

One of her guests described it as “a multi-tool” similar to a Swiss army knife. “Well, I would argue the size of it alone, you wouldn’t even think it’s a deadly weapon,” Crockett said.

Contrary to Crockett’s claims, NewsNation reported that Anthony used a semi-serrated, 5-inch pocket knife that penetrated Metcalf’s sternum and entered his heart, leaving a 2-inch stab wound. Metcalf bled to death.

Crockett also described the confrontation as a one-sided beating. “If a 300-pound man is beating me, like on top of me and beating me down, I’m not limited to fists,” she said, appearing to imply she would have responded the same way Anthony did.

But the actual facts tell a different story. Metcalf was 6 feet tall and 200 pounds, not 300. Anthony was listed at 5 feet 11 and 162 pounds, according to a New York Post report.

The comments sparked immediate backlash on social media, with users calling out the inaccuracies in Crockett’s account and condemning her remarks.

“She should be removed from Congress today,” one person wrote on X. “She’s too stupid to be in any position of power and sometimes stupidity is almost as dangerous as ill intent.”

Another pushed back on how the comments were being framed. “Saying she would stab a person or replicate a murder is not a ‘stunning defense.’ It is a stunning display of stupidity and lawlessness.”

A third wrote: “Defending a convicted murderer who stabbed an unarmed 17-year-old in the chest with a 5-inch knife over a tent dispute at a track meet and openly saying she’d do the same sets a terrible example. It normalizes lethal violence.”

Anthony filed a notice of appeal less than 24 hours after the verdict, TMZ reported on June 10.