Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) walked onto a stage Saturday night to honor Chris Brown and somehow managed to make the word "scammers" part of the ceremony.
Yes. Really.
At AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Crockett joined Texas state Rep. Venton Jones and producer RoccStar to recognize Brown and Usher for their musical careers. Crockett told the crowd they were experiencing "black joy to the highest level" and said she wanted it documented at the congressional level.
Then came the line.
"We got a few scammers up in D.C.," Crockett joked before turning the attention back to Brown. "But right here in Dallas, we got a real one."
From the New York Post:
“We are experiencing Black joy at the highest level. And I wanted to make sure we document that at the congressional level. So let’s give it up again for Chris Brown,” Crockett said.
Brown, who Crockett called “a real one,” is then seen hugging the congresswoman, before thanking her for the honor.
“I appreciate all the love. You know I f–k with y’all for real,” Brown said in thanks to Crockett as she walked off stage.
The award given to Brown appears to make no mention of the singer’s legal troubles, which infamously included a 2009 guilty plea for a vicious beating of his then-girlfriend Rihanna.
The “Look at Me Now” singer has also run into issues with the law since, having been booked for allegedly smashing a bottle over a music producer’s head in a nightclub in 2023, which he later pleaded guilty to, ABC reported.
Someone in Crockett's office might want to browse the Congressional Record before the next concert.
On April 29, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa) stood on the Senate floor arguing for more time to investigate pandemic-program fraud. She singled out Brown by name.
“The SBA is currently conducting a manual review of over $3 billion in Restaurant Revitalization Fund awards, but in this program alone, more than $9.5 billion of awards still require review.
“We can’t allow swindlers, scammers, and con artists to run out the clock.
“Because for fraudsters, time flies when you’re having fun.
“Look no further than Rapper Chris Brown, who exploited the SVOG program to pay for his lavish $80,000 birthday party and paid himself $5.1 million in the process.
“And multi-location franchise CoreLife Eatery that ignored location limits to feast on $7.8 million in taxpayer funds.
“Make no mistake, when it comes to fraud and abuse, this is just the tip of the iceberg.
“Thorough investigations take time, and investigators must be able to continue conducting this vital work on behalf of the American taxpayers.
“That’s why I’m urging my colleagues to support the SBA Fraud Enforcement Extension Act, so fraudsters know the days of getting away with their scams are numbered.
“But if Congress continues to press snooze, taxpayers are the ones who lose – billions!”
Brown's touring company received $10 million through the federal Shuttered Venue Operators Grant program. Records showed $5.1 million went to Brown himself. Nearly $80,000 was spent on his 33rd birthday party, including thousands for an LED dance floor and what expense records described as "atmosphere models."
Ernst described Brown as someone who had "exploited" the program. The underlying records had already raised questions about how wealthy performers used grants created to keep the live entertainment industry alive during the pandemic.
Brown wasn't charged with pandemic fraud, and the program permitted forms of owner compensation, which needs to be mentioned. So does the rather spectacular irony of a member of Congress joking about scammers while honoring a man another senator had recently used as an example of questionable pandemic spending.
Even without the taxpayer-money episode, Crockett had plenty of reasons to choose her words more carefully.
Brown pleaded guilty in 2009 to felony assault against Rihanna, receiving five years of probation, community labor, and domestic-violence counseling.
His legal history isn't ancient history, either.
On July 24, just seven weeks before Crockett's tribute, Brown pleaded guilty to affray in London. British prosecutors said Brown struck a man twice in the head with a glass bottle during a 2023 nightclub attack. The victim went to a hospital with head and knee injuries.
Brown is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 26.
None of this erases Brown's music, his fans, or his rights to perform. Congress also didn't vote to honor him. Crockett made a ceremonial recognition and used the Congressional Record to celebrate his career.
She was free to do it.
The rest of us are free to marvel at the choice.
Crockett wanted the moment documented. Mission accomplished.
Chris Brown now has the unusual distinction of being discussed in the Congressional Record as an example of questionable taxpayer-funded excess in April and celebrated through congressional recognition in September.
And somewhere between those two entries, "scammer" apparently became somebody else's nickname.
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