Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw said Sunday that President Trump is “doing what’s needed” as the Pentagon is set to deploy a few thousand more Marines to the Middle East as tensions escalate between the United States and Iran.
“I think it signals that there’s a seriousness of supporting whatever contingency operations might be needed,” the congressman and a former Navy SEAL said on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan.”
“If you’re going to do this, which we have done, you need to see it through,” he added.
When asked about the messages being sent to U.S. troops by Department of Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who earlier this month said there would be “no stupid rules of engagement” and “no politically correct wars,” Crenshaw commended Hegseth on what he said is clear military language for troops to abide by.
“If you fought in these wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, you’d be well acquainted with bad rules of engagement,” Crenshaw said. “You know the kind of thing that says, look, you can’t shoot unless you’re shot at. What he’s saying is that we are targeting Iranian military without quarter.”
Hegseth is “making it very clear for our military,” Crenshaw said, adding that it is something the U.S. 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 in place and in writing for our troops,” he said. “I don’t think it sends any wrong message … I think it sends exactly the right message.”
Islamophobic rhetoric in GOP is “fairly fringe”
Asked about some anti-Muslim messages that emerged from some Republican lawmakers in recent days — including Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama who posted an image of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani at a Ramadan event along with a photo of the 9/11 terror attack, and Rep. Andy Ogles of Tennessee who said Muslims don’t belong in American society — Crenshaw called the Islamophobic rhetoric within his party “fairly fringe.”
Crenshaw, whose term as representative of Texas’s 2nd congressional district is set to end following his loss in the GOP primary earlier this month, then said, “I mean, the truth of the matter is, radical Islamism is bad, right? We’ve always known that … That should not be a controversial statement at all.”
“There’s a Republican conflict ongoing right now over Israel and the antisemitism issues, and so, you know, one could make the argument that speaking out against it has only inflamed it,” Crenshaw said. “So, look, I still think that’s very fringe. I don’t think that’s- that’s certainly not the administration’s position. And like, we’re going to go after radical Islam, that’s why we need to fund agencies like DHS, and that’s what we’re going to do.”
Misinformation blamed for primary loss
On his recent loss in the primary, Crenshaw has blamed misinformation as one of the factors.
“I’m a unique Republican, you know, I’ve been the target of online smears and conspiracies for a very long time. My election was basically a product of that,” he said.
“The lesson to be learned is like, you’ve got to get the truth out. You’ve got to try,” Crenshaw said. “But ultimately, this is a question for the American people. Are you going to believe everything you read online or that’s sent to you in your mail?”