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Polygamist cult leader's daughter breaks free, says false prophet abused her: 'The world could see the shame'

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Polygamist cult leader's daughter breaks free, says false prophet abused her: 'The world could see the shame'

It was New Year’s Eve 2014 when the daughter of polygamist cult leader Warren Jeffs finally broke free.

“When I stepped out, I remembered thinking, ‘Gosh, I should have left sooner,’” Rachel Blackmore recalled to Fox News Digital. “There’s just so much life out there.”

The mother of seven is coming forward in a new A&E docuseries, “Secrets of Polygamy,” which explores extreme polygamist groups across the country. 

It features new sit-downs with one of Jeffs’ former wives and former members and investigators.

SON OF POLYGAMOUS CULT LEADER WARREN JEFFS SPEAKS OUT IN DOC: ‘WE WERE BRAINWASHED’

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Rachel Blackmore is speaking out in A&E’s “Secrets of Polygamy.” (A&E)

Jeffs, 68, was sentenced in 2011 to life in prison after his conviction on two counts of child sexual abuse. In 2017, Blackmore wrote a memoir, “Breaking Free.”

“It’s been really important to me to give a voice to the young girls who have been sexually abused,” Blackmore shared.

Polygamy is a legacy of the early teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The mainstream church abandoned the practice in 1890 and now strictly prohibits it.

The headquarters of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Colorado City, Ariz. The home base of FLDS is on the Arizona-Utah border. (Getty Images)

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The FLDS (Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) broke away from the Mormon church and was formed so that members could continue practicing plural marriage. It was headquartered on the Utah-Arizona border. Jeffs’ father, Rulon T. Jeffs, took power in 1986 and ruled until he died in 2002 at age 92. He left behind an estimated 75 widows and 65 children.

FORMER CHILD BRIDE WHO HELPED TAKE DOWN CULT LEADER WARREN JEFFS SPEAKS OUT IN NEW DOCUMENTARY

Following Rulon’s death, Warren Jeffs took over as the group’s prophet. In the FLDS, it is believed the prophet can speak directly to God and direct which male members can enter heaven. The prophet can also perform marriages and assign wives to their husbands. In pleasing the prophet, loyal members are rewarded with more wives, who “belong” to their spouses for eternity, NPR reported. Members believe that each man must have at least three wives.

“I think, as a child, you don’t realize when something’s bad all the time,” Blackmore recalled. “I think, for a lot of us, that’s how it was. … I felt protected from the world. I was taught that the outside world was wicked.”

The grave of FLDS prophet Rulon Jeffs. He fathered more than 60 children. (Getty Images)

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Jeffs has an estimated 78 wives and 53 biological children.

“We had to wear sleeves to our wrists and long dresses. Our hair had to be braided a certain way,” Blackmore said. “And there were the continual teachings of polygamy where there was a leader, one man, and you never questioned him. … We were taught that if we wanted to go to heaven, we had to live polygamy. We had to have sister wives and marry a man we were told to marry, not who we wanted to choose. All of those restrictions were accepted because that’s all we knew.”

In the series, Blackmore claimed Jeffs sexually molested her when she was eight years old. She noted that women and girls couldn’t express anger or jealousy without enduring punishment. Instead, they had to “be sweet.”

Several young women play football in the dirt yard of one of the many schools in Colorado City, Ariz., owned and run by the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints March 3, 2004.  (George Frey)

“I have always been taught that boys don’t touch girls, that our bodies must be covered,” she said. “So, when Warren started sexually abusing me, I was just shocked. I just felt so guilty. I just put the shame on myself. … I just felt the whole world could see the shame. I went from being a joyful girl to being shy and quiet. And I didn’t tell anyone for a long time because I felt shame. I was embarrassed.”

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Blackmore said the abuse continued until she was 16.

“I faced Warren one day and told him that I hated him doing those things to me,” she explained. “I didn’t know words like ‘molest,’ ‘abuse’ or ‘rape.’ He listened and asked for my forgiveness. And he stopped doing it. But then he started marrying younger girls after that.”

‘ABDUCTED IN PLAIN SIGHT’ SURVIVOR JAN BROBERG RECALLS BEING KIDNAPPED TWICE: ‘A MONSTER BEHIND A SMILE’

Rachel Blackmore claimed her father, Warren Jeffs (pictured here), started molesting her when she turned 8. (Douglas C. Pizac/AFP)

At 18, Blackmore was forced into an arranged marriage. Her husband already had two wives. They met for the first time on the day before their wedding.

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“Warren performed the marriages. He decided who married who,” Blackmore said. “He chose my husband for me, and he kept control of our marriage. He had the say of what my husband and I did at all times.”

For years, Blackmore wondered what life was like in the outside world. She feared that her five children would endure the same abuse she did. And when one of her younger sisters confessed that she was also molested by Jeffs, Blackmore had enough.

Rachel Blackmore said she was stunned by her sister’s revelation. (Visions of America/Joe Sohm/Universal Images Group)

“It was a big moment for me,” Blackmore said. “I realized it wasn’t my fault. Warren had a problem with sexual abuse. And we both agreed that we didn’t trust him with our kids. That’s when I said, ‘I’m going to leave.’ It was the first time I said it out loud. And when I did, I knew it was the final decision for me. Even though I didn’t leave for a few months after, I knew that was it.”

Little by little, Blackmore was “disobedient” as she began taking her children out on longer walks and leaving the property. Every time she got in trouble for “spreading my wings,” she was also getting a taste of freedom. But time was ticking. Blackmore learned that, as punishment, she was going to be placed in a bishop’s house, a property with towering walls and coded gates. Blackmore knew if she ended up there, she and her children would never be able to leave.

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“It was scary, but I was sneaky,” said Blackmore. “I got my kids out during the night to my sister’s house. She had already left.”

NETFLIX’S ‘OUR FATHER’: FILM EXPLORES TRAUMA CAUSED BY INDIANA FERTILITY DOCTOR WHO IMPREGNATED HIS PATIENTS

Rachel Blackmore fled the compound in secret with her five children. (George Frey)

Blackmore and her children managed to leave the compound in secret.

“I didn’t know how I was going to support five kids on my own,” Blackmore admitted. “I’m not going to pretend that [being free] was easy. It wasn’t. It was really hard. It’s still a growing experience for me. I’m still learning how to make friends and live within a community.

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“I remember experiencing Christmas and Easter for the first time,” she recalled. “We never got to celebrate those things. I also wanted my children to celebrate their birthdays. I wanted to exchange gifts. I wanted them to go to a school and meet all kinds of people. I wanted them to experience what it was like to date. I never got to experience any of those things. There were so many firsts we didn’t have in a cult.”

In this handout provided by the FBI, polygamist Warren Steed Jeffs is pictured on an FBI Ten Most Wanted poster.  (FBI)

In 2006, Jeffs, who was on the FBI’s Top Ten Most Wanted list, was arrested during a routine traffic stop near Las Vegas. He was booked on two out-of-state warrants issued in Utah and Arizona on charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor and rape as an accomplice.

Women and children from the YFZ Ranch, the compound built by polygamist leader Warren Jeffs, are moved by bus to San Angelo, Texas, April 6, 2008. (Khampha Bouaphanh/Fort Worth Star-Telegram/Tribune News Service)

According to prosecutors, Jeffs engaged in sexual abuse with two girls, ages 12 and 14. A key piece of evidence against Jeffs was an audio recording of him instructing his “spiritual bride,” as well as several other girls, on how to please him sexually. 

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In 2007, Jeffs tried to hang himself in a Utah jail. He was force-fed at an Arizona jail in 2009. Then in 2011, he was sentenced to life in prison. That same year, he was put in a medically-induced coma after fasting behind bars.

Some followers of FLDS still consider Jeffs to be their prophet and that he was wrongfully convicted. But over the years, the group has lost hundreds of members who either left or were cast out.

IDAHO WOMAN RECALLS ESCAPING SERIAL KILLER JOSEPH DUNCAN IN DOC: ‘HOW LONG AM I GOING TO BE ALIVE?’

Warren Jeffs in a booking photo from Sept. 5, 2006, at the Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, Utah, after he was extradited from Nevada.  (Washington County Sheriff)

Blackmore has remarried. And she’s hopeful her story will give hope to other young women like her who left.

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“We need to work, more than ever, to protect our children,” she said. “To give children an opportunity to have a good life is important to me. … And as long as there are people who will do what Warren says, he will always be a threat. … But there is strength and healing after trauma. There is hope you can have a better life.”

“Secrets of Polygamy” premieres Jan. 8 at 10 p.m. on A&E. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Crockett faces blowback from GOP, Hollywood for far-left agenda, media presence after launching US Senate bid

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Crockett faces blowback from GOP, Hollywood for far-left agenda, media presence after launching US Senate bid

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From Congress to Hollywood, Texans are pushing back on Democratic Rep. Jasmine Crockett’s U.S. Senate launch as she faces scrutiny for her far-left policies and presence on social media. 

Crockett, a progressive known for her viral social media clashes and sharp exchanges in the House of Representatives, rolled out her Senate bid on Monday. She framed her candidacy as an effort to stand against President Donald Trump, something she said incumbent Republican Sen. John Cornyn will not do. 

“I’m done watching the American dream on life support while Trump tries to pull the plug. The gloves have been off, and now I’m jumping into the ring,” she said.

EX-NFL STAR ABANDONS SENATE BID AS JASMINE CROCKETT NEARS MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT

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Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks to reporters after announcing her run in the Democratic primary for the U.S. Senate on Dec. 8, 2025, in Dallas. (LM Otero/AP Photo)

Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, responded to her announcement on Tuesday, blasting her record on policing and border enforcement.

“Texans want somebody representing them who’s gonna stand for law and order, and that is certainly not Jasmine Crockett,” Gill said on “Hannity.” “If Texans support one thing, it’s law and order. And listen, this is probably the most pro-criminal candidate Democrats could have possibly found.”

TOP GOP SENATOR SAYS CROCKETT ANNOUNCEMENT EXPOSES HOW ‘RADICAL’ DEMS ARE NATIONWIDE

The congressman cited Crockett’s past support for the defund-the-police movement, adding that Crockett “has said on record that just because you commit a crime doesn’t mean that you’re a criminal.”

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“This is somebody who has said on record that just because somebody crosses our border illegally, that is not a crime,” Gill added. 

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump during her time in Congress. (Photo by Julia Beverly/Getty Images)

Gill also warned that the Democrat was misreading the state’s politics.

“Remember, Texas is a state where President Trump won by 14 points,” he said. “She’s saying she doesn’t need Trump voters for her to win this. Yes, she does.”

JASMINE CROCKETT GETS STRONG ENDORSEMENT FOR HER ‘PHENOMENAL’ MESSAGING ABILITY FOR DEMOCRATS

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The pushback against Crockett isn’t limited to Capitol Hill, however. 

“I live in Texas, I love Texas, I really don’t want her representing Texas,” actor Zachary Levi said on “Gutfeld!” Tuesday.

The “Shazam!” star called out Crockett’s social media habits.

“I think that a lot of people are digging themselves in some pretty big holes because they think they’re taking advantage of social media, and yet they’re coming out with this really bizarre stuff,” Levi said. “And I think that a lot of people that might otherwise support her are cringing because of that.”

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Levi suggested that her participation in viral TikTok trends wouldn’t age well.

“And more than that, you’re supposed to be a responsible adult in the room as a politician. You should be doing things that are of more value to your constituency,” he added.

Fox News’ Paul Steinhauser, Peter Pinedo, Elizabeth Elkind and Deirdre Heavey contributed to this report. 

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Mayor Tim Keller defeats law-and-order challenger to secure third term as Albuquerque mayor

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Mayor Tim Keller defeats law-and-order challenger to secure third term as Albuquerque mayor

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Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller has been re-elected to lead New Mexico’s largest city, according to the unofficial results from the Bernalillo County clerk’s office. 

While officially nonpartisan, Tuesday’s runoff carried a clear ideological split as Keller faced a challenge from his right in former Sheriff Darren White, who cast himself as the law-and-order candidate promising to restore public safety.

Keller defended his record on crime and homelessness, ultimately securing a third term to continue leading the blue city through the next four years as it confronts public safety and housing challenges.

Keller and White advanced from a 7-candidate field on Election Day on Nov. 5, 2025, when other high-stakes mayoral races were playing out across the United States, from Seattle to New York City. Because neither candidate received more than 50% of the vote, the mayoral contest advanced to Tuesday’s runoff election.

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ALBUQUERQUE VOTERS TO DECIDE MAYORAL RUNOFF AS LAW-AND-ORDER CHALLENGER TAKES ON INCUMBENT IN BLUE CITY

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller greets then-Vice President Kamala Harris at the Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022. (Sam Wasson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

Despite Albuquerque’s officially nonpartisan mayoral election, Keller aligns with the Democratic Party while White is a Republican.

“Thank you for believing in this campaign, in our city, and in the work ahead. I’m honored to earn your trust for another historic term, and I’m ready to keep delivering progress for every community in our city. Let’s get back to work, together,” Keller said Tuesday night after securing a third term.

THE RESULTS ARE IN: 2025’S BIGGEST WINNER AND LOSERS FROM THE OFF-YEAR ELECTIONS

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“While we are disappointed by the final result, we have no regrets. We walk with our heads held high, proud of the movement we built and the issues we helped elevate,” White posted on X.

Both candidates made public safety and housing central to their campaigns as Albuquerque has struggled with some of the highest violent-crime rates in the region and a homelessness crisis.

Keller is a former state senator and auditor who has served as mayor of Albuquerque since 2017, while White is the programming manager for a local radio station, the former chief public safety officer for Albuquerque and lost a congressional race as a Republican in 2008.

According to Keller’s campaign website, he ran for re-election, in part, because Albuquerque “needs strong, reliable leadership” to “stand up” against President Donald Trump’s sweeping, second-term agenda.

Then-U.S. House candidate Darren White speaks at the New Mexico’s Republican Convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on March 15, 2008. (Tom Williams/Roll Call/Getty Images)

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Earlier this year, Keller issued an executive order “reaffirming Albuquerque’s longstanding commitment as an immigrant-friendly city and outlined specific actions to safeguard the rights and safety of immigrant and refugee communities,” amid Trump’s nationwide crackdown on illegal immigration.

“He’s done the real work to repair decades-long challenges holding our city back. Now we know what’s working — and it’s time to press the pedal down and move Albuquerque forward through these tough times,” Keller touted on his campaign website, as he pointed to “tough times” locally and nationally.

Keller leaned on his record throughout the campaign, including his efforts to combat crime, reform homelessness and housing services and his “breakthrough achievements,” including public safety and community investment projects, as outlined on his website.

The mayor also highlighted his initiatives to reform the city’s emergency response system, invest in neighborhoods, fight for survivors of sexual violence, modernize the economy, leadership on “climate action” including a commitment to being “100% renewable by 2025,” expanding youth programs and “leading with courage” through the COVID-19 pandemic, per his campaign website.

Albuquerque Mayor Tim Keller delivers remarks at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on Tuesday, Oct. 25, 2022.  (Sam Wasson/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

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Meanwhile, White emphasized his law enforcement experience as a U.S. Army veteran who has served as “the head of the New Mexico State Police and Sheriff of Bernalillo County,” according to his own campaign website.

Chief among his campaign promises was a commitment to fighting crime by restoring law and order and “giving officers the support and tools they need to enforce the law and clean up our streets” and ending “Mayor Keller’s Sanctuary City law for criminals and fight to end Catch and Release,” according to his website.

Drawing a contrast to Keller’s own record, White campaigned on cleaning up homeless encampments and addressing “the homeless crisis with policies that work.”

Other campaign promises included partnering with businesses to create jobs and boost the economy and prioritizing government efficiency by cutting the waste, fraud and abuse of taxpayer dollars, per his campaign website.

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“I have a proven record of fighting crime, protecting our communities, and upholding law and order,” White said. “I’ll unshackle the police, end Mayor Keller’s failed sanctuary policies, clean up homeless encampments, and restore safety to Albuquerque’s streets, parks, and businesses while cutting government waste and making our city a place where families and businesses can thrive again.”

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Crockett’s potential successor has repeatedly railed against US in reparations push: ‘It’s been evil’

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Crockett’s potential successor has repeatedly railed against US in reparations push: ‘It’s been evil’

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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.”

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FAR-LEFT FIREBRAND SPENDS EYE-POPPING AMOUNT OF CAMPAIGN CASH ON LUXURY HOTELS, ‘TOP-TIER’ LIMO SERVICES

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas, speaks to reporters after announcing her run in the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate on Dec. 8, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)

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.”

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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.”

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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

Charlie Kirk, founder of Turning Point USA, enters the plaza and talks with his supporters. (Michael Ho Wai Lee/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

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.”

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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’

Rep. Jasmine Crockett launches a Texas Senate campaign with a clever ad featuring Trump’s own insults against her, sparking social media reactions. (LM Otero/AP Photo)

Haynes did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the time of publication.

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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.

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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.

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Crockett did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment by the time of publication.

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