Rep. Jasmine Crockett from Texas reportedly expressed her desire to “close” her profile to The Atlantic after discovering that the author had contacted other Democrats without informing her. According to staff writer Elaine Godfrey, Crockett made this request just four days prior to the publication of the article.
Godfrey noted that Crockett told her, “Shut down my profile and revoke all permissions.” Yet, despite this request, the article was published and included insights from both Crockett and several other Democratic figures. Some of those mentioned include progressive strategist Max Burns, Rep. Toni Rose, and Texas Reps. Julie Johnson and Robert Garcia.
Godfrey mentioned that she initially reached out to multiple Democrats who seemed “uninterested.” She added that many of her colleagues from the Surveillance and Judiciary Committee, along with others contacted, either declined to speak or didn’t respond to her queries. A few senior Democrats hinted that some of Crockett’s peers view her as less disciplined, although they hesitated to criticize her publicly.
Anonymous staff comments shed additional light on the situation, with one official saying, “She likes to talk. Is she a loose cannon? Sometimes. Does it cause headaches to other members? 100%.”
Crockett has also suggested that Democrats need to be more assertive and should be more amenable to working with Republicans like Ted Cruz.
However, there appears to be some frustration among her fellow Democrats, as some chose not to comment for the article. Political figures, including reporter Jim Stinson and NBC’s Sahil Kapoor, remarked on the unusual nature of Crockett’s request to have her profile closed. Jane Coaston pointed out that reaching out to others for input is standard practice in journalism.
In the same article, Crockett criticized some of her fellow leftists, like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Bernie Sanders. Although she acknowledged the value of their “Fighting Oligarchy” tour, she expressed concern that it might overshadow the contributions of others in the party. Efforts to get a comment from Crockett’s office were made.
