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Attorney General Pam Bondi urged Rep. Jasmine Crockett to “tread very carefully” after the Texas Democrat railed against Elon Musk and his electric vehicle company, Tesla.
The nation’s top prosecutor issued the threat during an appearance on Fox News Sunday Morning Futures, just days after Crockett spoke at a live-streamed Tesla Takedown rally.
“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 told anchor Marisa Bartiromo. “Domestic terrorism is going to come to a stop in our country.”
Just hours later, Crockett responded on MSNBC, telling host Alex Witt that her call to action was nonviolent.
“I have never promoted violence whatsoever, yet I’ve also never made [an] excuse for those violent actors such as the ones on January 6,” she said, referring to President Donald Trump’s sweeping pardons for insurrectionists charged with crimes during Capitol riots.
“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 6.”
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Attacks against Tesla vehicles have escalated since Musk began slashing the federal government through his Department of Government Efficiency.
Protests have erupted across the U.S., with showrooms besieged and charging sites vandalized. Others are selling their cars and shares amid growing unease over Musk’s political influence and closeness to Trump.
On Wednesday, Crockett attended a virtual Tesla Takedown rally and referenced what organizers are touting as the “biggest day of action” on March 29, with an estimated 500 demonstrations scheduled across the U.S.
“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, who will turn 44, said.
“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.”
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Crockett also stated that her calls to engage in “fighting” were figurative, and instead, she wanted to encourage peaceful protests.
Several MAGA Republicans have denounced Crockett’s anti-Musk and Tesla rhetoric.
“A Member of Congress is organizing political violence and terrorism,” Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote on X.
Texas Senator Ted Cruz warned on his Verdict podcast Friday that “somebody is going to be killed.”
Meanwhile, Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick simply told Fox News viewers to buy Tesla stock last week.
Three people were charged for their involvement in Molotov cocktail attacks against Tesla cars and charging stations in Oregon, Colorado and North Carolina, Bondi’s office announced a day after the Tesla Takedown call.
On Sunday, the attorney general doubled down that “we are not coming off these charges,” adding: “We are looking at everything, especially if this is a concerted effort. This is domestic terrorism.”
She said the three suspects face “severe and swift consequences” for their actions, including up to 20 years in prison.
