Texas Gov. Greg Abbot lobs 'racist' accusation at Dem lawmaker Jasmine Crockett
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) suggested that Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) held racist beliefs because she opposed gerrymandering that could wipe out congressional districts that were historically held by minorities in the state.
During a Sunday interview on Fox News, host Shannon Bream told Abbott that Crockett had recently connected Texas redistricting to race.
"Right now, African-Americans are only going to have one-fifth of the voting power that they should have in the state of Texas under this map," Crockett said. "And we know that our Latino brothers and sisters will only have one-third of the voting power. And frankly, Asians, which tend to be one of the fastest growing demographics in the state of Texas, have literally no power."
Abbott brushed aside the criticism.
"Well, first of all, it would not be a day the ends of the letter 'y' if Jasmine Crockett didn't say something racist," the governor quipped. "The problem that Democrats have in the state of Texas is Hispanics, Black voters, and other voters. They have learned now that the ideas that Democrats stand for are contrary to the ideas that the Hispanic community and Black community stand for."
"And so what we're finding is that these Hispanics now are voting for Republicans," he continued. "If the Democrats would say that they should have been entitled to elect a certain member of a particular race, but instead let the voters of that district decide, regardless of their race."