MAGA influencer Laura Loomer is alleging that Rep. Jasmine Crockett “physically attacked and assaulted” one of her reporters in the Capitol Building.
A video posted by Loomer on X shows the reporter, Charles Downs, yelling questions at the Texas Democrat as he follows her through the halls of the Capitol. When Downs thrusts the camera into the lawmaker’s face, she appears to push it down and keep walking.
In a string of X posts on Tuesday, Downs and Loomer claimed that Crockett scratched him, leaving him with red marks on the top of one of his hands.
“It’s clear elected Democrats have embraced violence against Trump supporters and members of the independent media, even in the halls of Congress,” Loomer wrote in one post.
In another, she said she had “instructed” Downs to file a report with Capitol police, adding: “He should probably also go get a Tetanus shot, or get examined for rabies. @JasmineForUS is a rabid animal.” The post included a photo, purportedly of Downs’ hands, with light red marks visible.
Downs, for his part, said in a selfie-cam video recorded on the Capitol lawn, “It is disgusting that a member of Congress, much less a well-known member of Congress like Jasmine Crockett, chose to assault me after I asked her if she would condemn violence at Tesla showrooms.”
Neither Crockett’s office nor the Capitol police immediately responded to the Daily Beast’s request for comment on the allegations.
Crockett did speak out after the incident, writing on X that “an individual attempted to my invade personal safety for a soundbite.” She thanked Rep. Tim Burchett, who was with her at the time, for “putting himself between me and the individual to ensure I made it to Committee. In a time of division, he put respect and safety first and I appreciate it.”
Loomer, who fashions herself as an investigative journalist, is a fringe far-right media figure and conspiracy theorist who has a lengthy history of false claims and attention-seeking stunts. Back in 2018, she chained herself to the doors of Twitter’s New York City headquarters after she was banned from the site for harassing Rep. Ilhan Omar. On the campaign trail, Donald Trump invited Loomer, who has pushed 9/11 truther conspiracies, to be his guest at ceremonies memorializing the attack.
The video posted on Tuesday appears to show Crockett having a light-hearted conversation with the Republican Burchett while Downs followed her. Loomer claimed that the congressman, who is an ally of Trump, was a witness to the assault “but didn’t intervene.” She called on him to speak out and said he will be named in the police report.
Burchett’s office did not immediately respond to the Daily Beast’s request for comment.
Loomer also called for House Speaker Mike Johnson to censure Crockett, writing: “Let’s see if Republicans really mean what they say about being against violence or if they want to be chummy with their Democrat colleagues.”
Earlier on Tuesday, Loomer teased the fact that she was posting a video of Crockett “assaulting” Downs. When she finally did try to post the clip, she accidentally shared a video of Downs following a representative who was not Crockett, which showed no physical contact. It was quickly deleted and replaced with the Crockett clip.
The video of the encounter shows Downs, who is a D.C. correspondent for Loomer’s internet show, accusing Crockett of “calling for violence” against Tesla when she appeared on a livestream for anti-Tesla protesters last week.
Elon Musk’s electric vehicle company has faced vandalism at its showrooms and of its cars amid criticism of the billionaire’s efforts to reshape the federal government with DOGE.
The livestream Crockett appeared on was supporting explicitly non-violent protests against Tesla. The Democrat, who repeatedly stressed the importance of keeping the protests peaceful, said, “Obviously, everything that I am promoting is non-violent.”
That didn’t stop Loomer from accusing Crockett of “enabling domestic terrorism” over the appearance. When Loomer made the assault allegations, she reshared a clip of the lawmaker’s appearance on the livestream, which she had claimed was an “exclusive” (the entire stream is publicly visible on YouTube).
Crockett has long drawn MAGA’s ire as an emphatic and outspoken critic of Trump and his allies. She has previously gone viral for verbally sparring with the president’s most diehard supporters in the House, including Reps. Nancy Mace and Marjorie Taylor Greene.
However, MAGA’s attacks on the Texas Democrat have reached a heightened intensity this week ahead of Loomer’s allegations.
Many pro-Trump influencers expressed their outrage after Crockett referred to Texas’ Republican governor, Greg Abbott, who uses a wheelchair, as “governor hot wheels” during remarks at a Human Rights Campaign event over the weekend.
Far-right pundit Charlie Kirk shared the clip and wrote, “This woman is trash.” Fox News contributor Guy Benson mockingly called it “pure class, as usual.”
After Loomer posted the assault allegations, voices from around the MAGAsphere were quick to start calling for Crockett’s arrest.
“LOCK HER UP! THIS IS A CRIME!” wrote MAGA correspondent Nick Sortor.
The popular account MAGA Voice wrote in a post that “Rep. Jasmine Crockett actually just physically attacked Loomer’s crew ON CAMERA. Mainstream Media will NEVER show you this. Jasmine needs to be thrown in prison.”
Pro-Trump pundit Benny Johnson blasted the video to his 3.6 million X followers with the caption “Jasmine Crockett just ASSAULTED one of Laura Loomer’s DC Correspondents while being questioned.”
