Democratic Rep Jasmine Crockett is standing by her now-viral comments about Marjorie Taylor Greene during an explosive hearing on the House floor on Thursday night.
Ms Crockett, who represents Texas, got into a fiery exchange with the MAGA lawmaker that culminated in her throwing an insult about a “bleach blond, bad-built butch body” in Ms Greene’s direction.
The remark came after Ms Greene insulted Ms Crockett’s “fake eyelashes.”
When CNN’s Jake Tapper asked Ms Crockett if she regretted her comments on “State of the Union” on Sunday morning, her answer was clear.
“I don’t. Because, here’s the thing, I signed up to be a member of Congress,” Ms Crockett said.
“That didn’t mean I was supposed to walk into a position where I’m going to walk in and be disrespected.
“The problem with MAGA is that MAGA does not respect rules, nor do they respect the law,” she continued, referring to Ms Greene’s affiliation with the far-right and Donald Trump’s MAGA platform.
Ms Crockett also took a jab at the gang of House republicans who attended Mr Trump’s hush money trial in Manhattan on Thursday just hours before the testy House Oversight Committee hearing that night.
“That is exactly why they’re all running up to Trump’s trial, because he’s in trouble, not because of some big conspiracy by the administration,” she said.
On Friday, top Democrat Jamie Raskin claimed that some of those Republicans may have been drinking on the trip.
“There was drinking going on in the hearing room on the Republican side,” he told The Hill on Friday.
“You had a bunch of members who had skipped legislative votes yesterday in order to go to Donald Trump’s trial…I don’t even want to imagine how much drinking was taking place on the train or up in New York.”
Mr Raskin also called for an investigation into the potential involvement of alcohol.
The Republicans who showed up at Mr Trump’s trial on Thursday included Lauren Boebert, Andy Biggs, Michael Cloud, Eli Crane, Matt Gaetz, Bob Good, Diana Harshbarger, Anna Paulina Luna, Ralph Norman and Andy Ogles.
Mr Gaetz told The Independent on Saturday that he did not travel with the group to New York and did not observe any drinking.
The Independent has previously contacted the other lawmakers who attended the trial on Thursday for comment.
The furor between Ms Crockett and Ms Greene come during what was supposed to be a House hearing to determine if US Attorney General Merrick Garland could be held in contempt of Congress.
“I’d like to know if any Democrats on the committee are employing Judge [Juan] Merchan’s daughter?” Ms Greene asked moments before the hearing devolved into chaos.
Judge Juan Merchan is currently presiding over Mr Trump’s hush money trial in New York. The former president and other Republicans have repeatedly attacked both the judge and his daughter due to her past work for Democrats.
“Please tell me what that has to do with Merrick Garland,” Ms Crockett asked. “Do you know what we’re here for?”
“I don’t think you know what you’re here for,” Ms Greene responded. “I think your fake eyelashes are messing up what you’re reading.”
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a progressive Democrat from New York, interjected calling out the MAGA lawmaker for her comments. “How dare you attack the physical appearance of another person,” she said.
Ms Greene then taunted Ms Ocasio-Cortez, asking if her feelings had been hurt.
“Oh girl, oh baby girl, don’t even play,” Ms Ocasio-Cortez responded.
When Chairman James Comer ruled that Ms Greene’s comments did not violate House rules, Ms Crockett responded with her now-infamous words.
“If someone on this committee then starts talking about somebody’s bleach blond, bad-built butch body, that would not be engaging in personalities, correct?” she asked the chairman.
Now, Ms Crockett is launching a merch line to commemorate her viral comment and raise funds for Democratic campaigns.
In a post on X, Ms Crockett announced her new venture, selling merch that will feature “random things I’ve said”, including a t-shirt with the slogan: “Bleach blond bad built butch body.”
“This collection will feature various swag that includes random things I’ve said,” she wrote on X.
“The money will go to ensuring that we have a Democratic House! Give me a little time to really get the swag online etc., but B6 will drop first.”
