Attorney Dan Crenshaw says Trump is “doing what’s necessary” in the Middle East conflict
Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw said Sunday that President Trump is “doing what’s needed” as the Pentagon plans to send several thousand Marines to the Middle East as tensions escalate. in the United States and Iran.
“I think it shows that there is a seriousness to support any emergency operation that may be needed,” the congressman and former Navy SEAL said in “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
“If you’re going to do this, which we’ve done, you need to see everything,” he added.
When asked about the messages being sent to the US military by Defense Department Secretary Pete Hegseth, who said earlier this month there would be no “stupid rules of engagement” and “no politically correct wars,” Crenshaw praised Hegseth for what he said was clear military language for the military to follow.
“If you’ve fought in these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, you’ll be familiar with the bad rules of engagement,” Crenshaw said. “You know the kind of thing that says, look, you can’t shoot unless you get shot. What he’s saying is we’re targeting the Iranian military without quarter.”
Hegseth “makes it clear about our military,” Crenshaw said, adding that it’s something the US has lacked in many past conflicts.
Crenshaw also said he’s not worried that the language could inflame enemies.
“The rules of engagement will be very clear and effective and written down for our soldiers,” he said. “I don’t think it sends any wrong message … I think it sends the right message.”
Islamophobic rhetoric on GOP “fairly fringe”
Asked about the anti-Muslim messages that have come from some Republican lawmakers in recent days – including Sen. Tommy Tuberville from Alabama who posted a photo of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a Ramadan event and a photo of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee who said that Muslims do not belong in American society – Crenshaw called the Islamophobic propaganda within his party “fringe fair.”
Crenshaw, whose term as representative of Texas’ second congressional district is expected to expire after his own loss in the GOP primary earlier this monththen he said, “I mean, the fact of the matter is, radical Islam is bad, right? We’ve always known that … That should never be a controversial statement.”
“There’s a Republican debate going on right now about Israel and anti-legislative issues, so, you know, one could make the argument that speaking out against it has fueled it,” Crenshaw said. “So, look, I still think that’s very fringe. I don’t think that’s — it’s certainly not an administrative position. And like, we’re going to follow strict Islam, that’s why we need to fund agencies like DHS, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Inaccurate information is blamed for the main loss
In his most recent loss at the primary school, Crenshaw blamed misinformation as one of the factors.
“I’m a unique Republican, you know, I’ve been a victim of smears and the Internet for a very long time. My election was basically a product of that,” he said.
“The lesson you have to learn is, you have to get the truth out. You have to try,” Crenshaw said. “But ultimately, this is the question of the American people. Are you going to believe everything you read on the Internet or get sent to your mail?”
