'Afraid of diversity': Jasmine Crockett goes off on Republicans during Oversight hearing

Texas Democratic Representative Jasmine Crockett took aim at Republicans, including the House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer from Kentucky, during a hearing on Thursday that was ostensibly called to detail the GOP's complaints about the Biden administration.

Crockett’s comments came during a hearing titled "A Legacy of Incompetence: Consequences of the Biden-Harris Administration’s Policy Failures." Comer opened the meeting by calling the current Biden-Harris administration a failure.

"Everything Joe Biden and Kamala Harris has touched has failed," he said.

Among the list of witnesses was the Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission Brendan Carr, who has been in the position since August 2017 when he was appointed by former President Donald Trump. Carr has also been criticized by Democrats in recent months over his involvement with writing a chapter of Project 2025.

Carr talked about the Biden administration's Broadband Equity Access and Deployment program, which was announced by the White House last year; the program seeks to provide greater internet access to American households.

Carr told the House panel that the program is nothing more than another DEI initiative.

“The $42 billion program being led by Vice President Harris is being used to pursue a climate change agenda, DEI requirements, technology biases, price controls, preferences for government-run networks, and rules that will undoubtedly lead to wasteful overbuilding,” Carr said.

Crockett responds to DEI remarks

Later in the hearing, Crockett responded to Carr’s comments regarding DEI.

“This election is the best example of why y’all are so afraid of diversity, equity and inclusion. Because then you can’t have a simple-minded, underqualified white man somehow end up ascending. Instead, you have to pay attention to the qualified Black woman on the other side,” Crockett said.

She then accused Comer, the chair of the committee and called the meeting an “example of what waste, fraud and abuse looks like.”

“The only reason we're having this hearing is because somebody got their feelings hurt in a debate, and I don't understand why we're wasting taxpayer dollars,” Crockett said. “Next time, tell your big boy to show up and be ready to handle the woman in the room who hopefully will become the next president of the United States.”

Crockett questions Project 2025

The Democratic minority of the Oversight Committee called on one witness to speak at Thursday's hearing: Skye Perryman, CEO of Democracy Forward, a non-profit organization that says it has taken the "Trump administration to court more than 100 times."

Crockett asked Perryman about a potential Trump connection to the controversial conservative policy plan.

"Is Trump's name ever mentioned in Project 2025, yes or no?" Crockett said.

Perryman went on to respond by saying, “Within the document itself, there are a number of references to the former administration.”

Trump has said he has no connection to Project 2025 and has repeatedly sought to distance himself from the policy proposals while campaigning.

Fernando Cervantes Jr. is a trending news reporter for Paste BN. Reach him at fernando.cervantes@gannett.com and follow him on X @fern_cerv_.