When Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) first ran for state office in 2019, her campaign was funded almost entirely by small-dollar donors. As Crockett increased in prominence, however, cryptocurrency moguls, corporations, union bosses, and even foreign governments have lined up to shower her with resources.
Crockett, who got her start practicing law, ran to represent a portion of Austin in the Texas House of Representatives in 2020. Early on, her state-level campaign counted on local individuals giving at most a couple hundred dollars apiece to support her. However, as she picked up steam, organized labor and business interests began cutting checks to her political committee as well. Crockett’s biggest financial windfall came during the 2022 election season when super PACs linked to cryptocurrency industry leaders like the since-disgraced Sam Bankman-fried pumped millions into supporting her bid to replace retiring Democratic Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson.
Since winning election to the House, Crockett has continued to enjoy contributions from corporate and union PACs. Foreign governments have also jumped aboard, with India, the United Arab Emirates, and a nonprofit group linked to the Qatari government all paying for Crockett and her family to go on expensive trips abroad, according to congressional disclosures.
Crockett has emerged as a Democratic firebrand, frequently going viral for her spats with Republicans. Most recently, she has caught criticism for referring to Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX), who is wheelchair-bound, as “governor Hot Wheels.” Crockett later argued that the title was not related to the governor’s disability, a claim that was undercut after the Washington Free Beacon reported that she had “liked” content on Facebook making fun of Abbott’s paralysis.
The sophomore congresswoman’s jab at Abbott is just one among her many controversial remarks, including criticizing Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) for being in an interracial marriage.
When it comes to policy, Crockett identifies as a progressive. For instance, the congresswoman has repeatedly railed against “corporate greed” and praised her colleagues for standing up against “corporate interests.”
Campaign finance records, however, show that Crockett has accepted over $370,000 in federal contributions from PACs representing corporations or business associations since 2022. Her donors include pharmaceutical giants such as AbbVie and Gilead Sciences, financial services firms such as BlackRock and Goldman Sachs, major defense contractors such as Lockheed Martin and RTX, and household names such as McDonald’s, Home Depot, CVS, Verizon, and Toyota.
The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, along with other major unions, have also provided financial support to Crockett’s state and federal campaigns.
Even before she took office, Protect our Future PAC and WEB3 Forward, two PACs funded by crypto moguls such as Bankman-Fried, Ben Horowitz, and Marc Anderssen, spent well over $2 million supporting Crockett’s campaign during a heated Democratic primary.
Crockett’s stated disdain for corporate influence goes back to her time running for state office.
In a July 10, 2020, tweet, Crockett claimed to have taken zero dollars from corporate PACs while her opposition had accepted nearly $200,000. A campaign finance disclosure covering the period between July 5 and Dec. 31, 2020, however, shows that Crockett accepted thousands in corporate PAC dollars. This means that her tweet was either inaccurate or she began accepting corporate cash shortly after attacking her opponent for doing so.
While Crockett has long accepted contributions from corporate PACs, gifts from foreigners are new to her.
Between Feb. 21 and 27, 2023, Crockett embarked on a trip to tour Doha, the capital of Qatar. The jaunt, which congressional records show cost over $17,000, was paid for by the United States-Qatar Business Council, a trade association with links to the Qatari government. Sheikha Mayes bint Hamad Al Thani, a member of Qatar’s royal family, is the Qatari managing director of the organization. Additionally, the U.S.-Qatar Business Council maintains a partnership with the Gulf Times, a Qatari state-run news outlet.
During her comped trip to Doha, Crockett stayed at the Waldorf Astoria Lusail Doha, a five-star waterfront resort boasting seven luxury restaurants and an entire waterpark. Over the course of the trip, the U.S.-Qatar Business Council arranged multiple meetings between Crockett and high-ranking members of the Qatari government. Four other members of Congress — three Republicans and a Democrat — were also invited on the trip.
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Crockett also went on cultural exchange trips paid for by the Indian and Emeriti governments, according to records.
“The congresswoman files her financial disclosures and all required documents in accordance with federal law,” Crockett’s chief of staff told the Washington Examiner.
