❓WHAT HAPPENED: Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) claimed that committing crimes does not necessarily make someone a criminal.

👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Netflix personality Jonathan Van Ness, and Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot.

📍WHEN & WHERE: During an interview on the Grounded podcast.

💬KEY QUOTE: “Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal. That is completely different. Being a criminal is more so about your mindset.” – Rep. Jasmine Crockett

🎯IMPACT: Crockett’s remarks sparked widespread criticism, and skepticism of her capacity to hold elected office.

Representative Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) has stated that committing crimes does not automatically make someone a criminal, arguing that it depends on the person’s mindset. Her comments came during an interview with Netflix television personality and “genderqueer” hairdresser Jonathan Van Ness on the Grounded podcast.

Crockett, a former public defender, reflected on her experiences working with indigent clients. She rambled, “It’s just understanding what ends up having people become criminally impacted really informs so much of what I do legislatively.” She added, “When somebody goes out and commits a crime, they don’t typically say, ‘Well, I’m a D, I’m a R, I’m a I.’ It’s about, how do you fix it? How do you make communities safer?”

Crockett then elaborated further, saying, “Just because someone has committed a crime, it doesn’t make them a criminal. That is completely different. Being a criminal is more so about your mindset. Committing a crime can come from a lot of different reasons.”

She referenced Dallas County District Attorney John Creuzot’s policy of not prosecuting certain low-level theft cases involving food or other necessities, agreeing with the approach. “There is no good point in doing it because a decent defense attorney would have a defense,” Crockett said.

Many  point to the failure to prosecute such quality-of-life crimes as a key reason for the increase in criminality overall. Baltimore, Maryland State Attorney, Ivan Bates—himself a former criminal defense attorney—has prioritized prosecuting quality-of-life crimes, arguing that failing to prosecute things like thefts invariably leads to neighborhood deterioration and an increase in crime.

Rep. Crockett: “Doin a crime don’t make you a criminal” pic.twitter.com/p1zXbGJIJw

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) September 18, 2025

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