Progressive Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s pastor, a radical reparations activist who once claimed America was “born in political violence,” is now running as a Democrat to replace her in Texas’ 30th Congressional District.
A Texas Democratic Party document reviewed by Fox News Digital confirmed that Rev. Frederick Douglass Haynes III, a Dallas megachurch pastor and social justice activist, is running to replace Crockett following her announcement that she is running for Senate.
In 2022, speaking at a “Solidarity for Reparations” event at a San Francisco church, Haynes advocated for reparations on the grounds that America owes it to the African American community.
“America, you owe us. What you done to us has been immoral. It’s been evil. It’s been unjust. It’s been downright wrong and the only way to bring salvation to America – you gotta pay us what you owe us,” Haynes said. “I’ve come by to say San Francisco, California, Texas, United States of America, if you want salvation to come to this house, you’ve got to engage in reparations.”
The remarks were made at the church of failed presidential candidate Kamala Harris’ longtime mentor and pastor, Amos Brown, who has made several controversial comments, including blaming the United States for the 9/11 terrorist attacks.
Haynes’ comments received high praise from Brown, who told the congregation, “What a wonder. What a word. What a challenge.”
He then told all the members of the San Francisco reparations task force in the crowd to “implement what our preacher has so eloquently stated in undescribable words. I told you you would receive information. You got all the inspiration you need. Now it’s time for implementation.”
Haynes was also present at a reparations rally outside the White House in 2023, when he said the United States was “born in the sin of a hostile, genocidal takeover of Indigenous land and shaped by anti-Black White supremacy. This is a country that spent in the aftermath of emancipation decades plundering Black communities and ensuring that we were economically exploited and excluded. And so how could you talk about redemption without reparation?”
“We’ve come to cash our check because we’ve seen the [profit and loss] statement,” he continued.
In addition to his activism on reparations, Haynes has a history of controversial statements, including posting a photo of himself and notorious antisemite Louis Farrakhan in 2017, calling him a “wonderful and great man.” In 2015, Haynes also lavished praise on Farrakhan, saying he was “a prophetic leader of our time.”
Earlier this year, he attacked conservative activist Charlie Kirk after his assassination, accusing him of espousing “dangerous” views “rooted in white supremacy.”
He criticized characterizations of Kirk’s killing as an assassination, saying, “a white Christian gets killed, murdered, not assassinated,” continuing, “Martin King got assassinated, Malcom X got assassinated, Medgar Evers got assassinated, don’t compare Kirk to King.”
Though he condemned political violence, Douglass proceeded to drill into Kirk, saying, “What Kirk said was dangerous, what Kirk said was racist, rooted in white supremacy, nasty and hate-filled.”
TOP GOP SENATOR SAYS CROCKETT ANNOUNCEMENT EXPOSES HOW ‘RADICAL’ DEMS ARE NATIONWIDE
During the same sermon, he proceeded to call out politicians who said America was better than political violence, because, as he said, “we ain’t better than this.”
“One of the things that gets me, and we got the politicians in here, I’m going to come for you if you ever say this, if you ever say, ‘America, we better than this,’ you lying, you lying. We ain’t better than this. America was born in political violence.”
He proceeded to list a number of acts of violence, saying, “America committed political violence during the slave trade, America committed political violence when black bodies hung as strange fruit from old southern trees, America committed political violence against the Irish, against the Italians, before they became white.”
“And you going to say, ‘We better than this?’” he continued. “No, we can’t fix what you won’t face, until you look in the mirror and face this is a violent country, that has done violence to too many people.”
SOCIAL MEDIA ERUPTS AFTER FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND BOTCHES EPSTEIN CLAIMS: ‘INSANE ACCUSATION’
Haynes did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the time of publication.
Though he did not address his congressional campaign, speaking at Crockett’s Senate launch event on Monday, Haynes accused Republicans of “racism” over a recently passed Texas redistricting bill. He praised Crockett, comparing her to the biblical Esther, saying, “As dark as it is right now, with Jasmine, the light is about to break out and shine.”
Crockett has previously praised Haynes, saying he has been a source of guidance for her.
In a July 2023 social media statement, Crockett wrote, “I’ve been blessed to know Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III for years, and to have been able to turn to him for guidance wherever, whenever.”
“As a PK, as a North Texan, and as a member of Friendship-West Baptist Church, I couldn’t be prouder to watch Pastor Haynes touch even more lives!” she added.
Crockett did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the time of publication.
