Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.
Read more
MAGA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene has accused Rep. Jasmine Crockett of orchestrating “political violence and terrorism” and has made her concerns known to Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel.
“A Member of Congress is organizing political violence and terrorism,” the controversial Georgia congresswoman wrote on X Thursday in response to a live stream titled TeslaTakedown.
The stream included several speakers on Wednesday, including Crockett, who discussed plans for non-violent political protests against Elon Musk’s billion-dollar Tesla enterprise.
Attacks against Tesla vehicles have been escalating since President Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 election. Musk aligned himself with the MAGA movement during the campaign trail and has become a key figure in the administration.
Crockett said in the livestream that she “was truly here for very selfish reasons.”
“On March 29, it’s my birthday, and all I want to see happen on my birthday is for Elon to be taken down – yes!” she said.
The Democrat said that everything she promoted was non-violent but underscored that it was important “to stand for freedom in this country and for the constitution.”
“The best way to show that we are American is by using our constitutional rights and deciding we are going to engage in protests,” she explained.
Taylor Greene previously verbally fought Crockett during a heated committee spat in 2024. Their following interactions, both online and in person, often erupt into fiery debates.
The Tesla Takedown Movement, which declares itself a “peaceful protest,” has pledged that Americans scrap and sell their Tesla cars and dump any stocks and shares they may have in Tesla Inc. in a bid to rally against the world’s richest man.
Taylor Greene’s comments thus appear to drill home Trump’s message that any Tesla insurgents, and even those who have simply declared their disdain for Musk, were also deserving of the “terrorist” label.
Attorney General Pam Bondi announced separately on Thursday that the Justice Department would bring “severe” charges against three individuals accused of targeting Teslas with arson attacks, following Trump’s vow to clamp down on such incidents as “domestic terrorism.”
For his part, Musk has been courting controversy since he gave a bizarre salute at a Trump victory ball on Inauguration Day and recently reposted a message on social media that read: “Hitler didn’t murder millions of people. Public sector employees did.”
Trump has also made numerous efforts to defend his Musk’s enterprise by stepping into the modern computerized vehicle outside of the White House and making numerous threats to punish the “sick terrorist thugs” in a Truth Social post early Friday.
The President added that those found guilty would be slapped with a 20-year jail sentence and typed a stark message a day earlier on Truth Social that boldly read: “WE ARE LOOKING FOR YOU!!!”
The Independent contacted Tesla and Marjorie Taylor Greene for comment.
