Disgraced journalist Wesley Lowery reentered public view this week, stirring new media fallout after praising Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s Senate bid and accusing critics of racism. The media fallout comes months after Lowery resigned from American University following accusations of sexual assault detailed in a Columbia Journalism Review report.
Lowery wrote on X that “the political class conventional wisdom is far too dismissive of Jasmine Crockett’s chances in Texas,” and claimed critics sounded “oblivious to how transparently racist” they were. His comments followed Crockett’s filing for the Democratic Senate primary and a campaign video featuring audio of President Donald Trump questioning her political talent. In her speech, Crockett said, “What we need is for me to have a bigger voice.”
Crockett’s record continues to draw scrutiny from both sides. She previously denounced Latino Trump voters for having a “slave mentality” and suggested that a “celebrity” once proposed that “black folk not have to pay taxes.” Reports also revealed she failed to disclose significant stock holdings, including investments in marijuana companies that could benefit from legislation she cosponsored.
Critics such as Zaid Jilani urged Democrats to “evaluate candidates based on their merits instead,” rejecting Lowery’s claims of racism. The Atlantic profile that noted Crockett’s “acrylic nails painted with the word RESIST” and her phone lock screen prompted accusations of bias from some liberal commentators.
Lowery’s own reputation has suffered. The Pulitzer winner has attacked journalistic “objectivity,” compared Republicans to the Ku Klux Klan, and produced a favorable profile of Chesa Boudin during his time at CBS. Women who accused Lowery of assault said, “He was the golden boy,” and “Mr. BLM,” while Lowery denied wrongdoing and criticized the investigation as containing “false insinuations about complicated dynamics.”
Crockett faces state representative James Talarico in the Democratic primary.
