Dan Crenshaw blasts House Freedom Caucus members as 'grifters' and 'performance artists'



U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) blasted members of the conservative House Freedom Caucus as "grifters" and "performance artists" at an event with Houston-area Republican congressional candidates on Sunday.

"I've been in Congress for almost three years now. There's two types of members in Congress: There's performance artists, there's legislators," Crenshaw told the audience at a campaign event featuring GOP candidates Wesley Hunt and Morgan Luttrell, a retired Navy SEAL and the twin brother of Marcus Luttrell.

"Now, the performance artists are the ones that get all the attention, the ones you think are more 'conservative' because they know how to say slogans real well. They know how to recite the lines that they know that our voters want to hear," he continued.

Without naming anyone specifically, Crenshaw criticized Freedom Caucus conservatives for voting against some bills that former President Donald Trump and a majority of the House GOP conference supported. He also defended Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), a vocal Trump critic, as a House member that "voted with Trump almost 99%. He was number 2."

"You know who was at the bottom? Everybody in the Freedom Caucus. All of them," Crenshaw said.

"We have grifters in our midst ... I mean in the conservative movement. Lie after lie after lie, because they know something psychologically about the conservative heart — we’re worried about what people are going to do to us, what they’re going to infringe upon us,” Crenshaw said.

Crenshaw's comments drew returning fire from at least one Freedom Caucus member, Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), who called Crenshaw a "Neo-Conservative" and criticized the Texas Republican's voting record.

"Every actual conservative scorecard exposes these lies. Actual conservatives oppose bankrupting America, spying on Americans, and crony surveillance capitalism," Davidson tweeted.

Who told you this was a good idea @DanCrenshawTX?\n\nNeo-Conservative is just another way of saying \u201cnot conservative\u201d \n\nEvery actual conservative scorecard exposes these lies. Actual conservatives oppose bankrupting America, spying on Americans, and crony surveillance capitalism.https://twitter.com/alexbruesewitz/status/1468056433593880582\u00a0\u2026
— Warren Davidson (@Warren Davidson) 1638874985

The Freedom Caucus is a group of GOP lawmakers in the House of Representatives who are generally considered to be among the most conservative Republicans. The group was formed in January 2015 by several members who were first elected in the 2010 Tea Party wave, in response to the perception that more mainstream Republicans weren't keeping the promises made to voters. Its members include several controversial and headline-making lawmakers including Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio), Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.), Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), Madison Cawthorn (R-N.C.), and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas).

The group played a key role in opposing former House Speaker John Boehner in 2015, leading multiple efforts to oust him from leadership. The Freedom Caucus also initially opposed the House Republican bill to repeal Obamacare in 2017, whic former President Donald Trump supported, arguing it left too much of the Affordable Care Act intact. Their opposition to the Obamacare repeal bill led Trump to publicly rebuke the caucus on Twitter, going as far to declare "war" on Freedom Caucus members who wouldn't be team players.

But the group became considerably more Trump-friendly after Republicans failed to repeal Obamacare. Former House Freedom Caucus Chairman Rep. Mark Meadows went on to serve as Trump's chief of staff, and the group was described as "Trump's main defender" by the Wall Street Journal during the first impeachment proceedings against Trump.

Only 42% of respondents in recent poll consider President Biden to be 'mentally sharp'



Less than half of people in a I&I/TIPP poll consider President Joe Biden to be "mentally sharp."

While 19.3% strongly agreed with the description of Biden as "mentally sharp" and 23% somewhat agreed, well over a third (36.9%) strongly disagreed and 13.6% somewhat disagreed. Nearly three quarters (74%) of Democrats consider the president to be mentally sharp, while just 13% of Republicans and 34% of independents held that view.

Similarly, while 16.9% strongly agreed with describing Biden as "energetic" and 25.5% somewhat agreed, more than a third (34.4%) strongly disagreed and 15.9% somewhat disagreed with using that adjective to describe the president.

While 21.3% strongly agreed with characterizing Biden as a "good communicator" and 25.3% somewhat agreed, 33.7% strongly disagreed, and 12.9% somewhat disagreed.

"The data come from the November I&I/TIPP Poll of 1,306 adults, which was conducted online from Oct. 27-29 by TechnoMetrica Market Intelligence, I&I's polling partner. The margin of error for the analysis is +/-2.8 percentage points," according to Issues & Insights.

Biden, who was sworn in as president earlier this year and will turn 79 later this month, previously spent more than three decades serving as a U.S. senator from Delaware before serving as vice president alongside President Barack Obama.

A Pew Research survey of U.S. adults conducted in September found that only 43% indicated that the characterization of mentally sharp described Biden well, with 14% indicating that this described him very well and 30% indicating that it described him fairly well.

Robert Reich, who served as secretary of labor under Democratic President Bill Clinton, recently tweeted that, "It is nice to see an American president on the world stage who speaks in complete sentences."

GOP Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas fired back, "Wait. You're saying this seriously? You know who the President is right?"

Wait. You’re saying this seriously? You know who the President is right? https://t.co/6LM1zFup0Y

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1635796090.0

'Great news for Americans still stuck in Afghanistan': Lawmaker sarcastically tweets after State Department issues first passport with gender 'X' marker



The U.S. State Department announced that it has issued the first passport with an "X" gender marker, a non-specific designation that will eventually be available as an option to others.

"The Department has issued the first U.S. passport with an X gender marker. We look forward to offering this option to all routine passport applicants once we complete the required system and form updates in early 2022," department spokesperson Ned Price said in a news statement.

"Great news for Americans still stuck in Afghanistan," Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas sarcastically tweeted regarding the news.

US issues first passport with ‘X’ gender marker.Great news for Americans still stuck in Afghanistan.https://t.co/O7tgDxDrgB

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1635344751.0

Earlier this year, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the department intends to roll out the option of a non-specific gender marker for nonbinary, intersex, and gender non-conforming people, but noted that it would take time to make this option available.

"Most immediately, we will be updating our procedures to allow applicants to self-select their gender as 'M' or 'F' and will no longer require medical certification if an applicant's self-selected gender does not match the gender on their other citizenship or identity documents," Blinken noted in that June 30 statement.

The Biden administration has been a strong proponent of radical gender ideology.

"When a person obtains identity documents that reflect their true identity, they live with greater dignity and respect," said Jessica Stern, U.S. special diplomatic envoy for LGBTQ rights, according to the Associated Press.

Last week, the State Department issued a tweet marking International Pronouns Day and on Tuesday, the department recognized Intersex Awareness Day.

A U.S. Department of Health and Human Services news release last week described HHS Assistant Secretary of Health Rachel Levine as the "first-ever female four-star admiral" in the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.

"The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) publicly announced today the nation's first openly transgender four-star officer across any of the eight uniformed services of the United States," the release declared. "Admiral Rachel Levine, who serves as the HHS Assistant Secretary for Health and head of the U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps, was ceremonially sworn in as a four-star admiral. Admiral Levine now serves as the highest ranking official in the USPHS Commissioned Corps and its first-ever female four-star admiral."

Levine, a transgender woman, is a biological male who identifies as a female.

Commenting on the news that the State Department issued the first passport with a gender "X" marker, Donald Trump Jr. tweeted, "I see that our super serious State Department is really addressing the most pressing and important issues of our time."

I see that our super serious State Department is really addressing the most pressing and important issues of our ti… https://t.co/mkI1KhX2Rz

— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) 1635341301.0

'Go f*** yourself': Dan Crenshaw says we need to tell the Taliban that 'if you get in our way ... we will kill you'



Following threats of retaliation from the Taliban this week, President Joe Biden decided not to extend his evacuation deadline from Afghanistan past Aug. 31, a decision which could leave thousands of American citizens stranded in the country amid the terrorist militant takeover.

While the president appeared to fold under pressure from the Taliban, Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw — a former Navy SEAL who fought in Afghanistan, where he lost his right eye — offered a much different response.

"The only proper response from America to these dirty savage terrorists should be: Go f*** yourself," the lawmaker tweeted on Monday.

The only proper response from America to these dirty savage terrorists should be: Go f*** yourself. https://t.co/n6Ip9V3Vwh

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1629747001.0

Crenshaw then expanded on his message to the militant group in an interview with Politico published Tuesday.

"We need to send a very clear message to the Taliban [that] we're not negotiating about our deadline," he stated. "That should be our message. We should laugh at them when they say, 'Oh, well, that's a red line for us, you need to be out by Aug. 31.'"

"No, and if you get in our way when we are extracting Americans then we will kill you," he continued, adding, "That is the only message that Biden should be delivering to the Taliban."

'We will kill you': Congressman says U.S. should reject Taliban threats over Aug. 31 deadline www.youtube.com

The lawmaker's simple message came after the Taliban recently threatened dire "consequences" should the deadline be extended or otherwise violated.

Spokesmen for the group said on Monday that the Aug. 31 deadline is considered a "red line" that the U.S. ought not to cross. Then on Tuesday, they declared that Afghan nationals would no longer be allowed to flee the country.

As the Biden administration continues to work on rescuing an undisclosed number of American citizens from Afghanistan, it has been inexplicably vague regarding the number of Americans evacuated thus far, leading many to question whether the mission can be completed before the deadline expires next Tuesday.

According to a leaked cable, the administration has so far been able to evacuate roughly 4,400 Americans from the country, but even low-end estimates indicate there could be 10,000 or more still stranded.

Additionally, reports have surfaced indicating that American citizens attempting to flee Afghanistan have been hampered and obstructed from reaching the Kabul airport, often under threat of violence.

Even so, Biden has opted to carry out evacuation efforts on the Taliban's timetable, prompting NBC News reporter Richard Engel to call the situation a "moment of American humiliation."

Dan Crenshaw: Democrats 'love to instill fear'; Americans 'shouldn't comply with any more lockdowns, with any more mandates, none of it'



This week a flurry of mask mandates and COVID-19 guidances returned to the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a new guidance that recommended Americans, even those who are fully vaccinated, wear face masks indoors in areas of the U.S. experiencing "high COVID-19 transmission rates."

Major cities and several states followed suit and enacted similar mask mandates. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) reacted to the new mask mandates and potential new lockdowns with a message to Americans: "No one should comply."

On Thursday afternoon, Crenshaw shared a video clip of White House deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre admitting that the Biden administration would consider new lockdowns.

Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy asked Jean-Pierre, "So if you're listening to the science, if scientists come to you at some point down the line and say, 'It is our opinion that there should be shutdowns and there should be school closures,' you would do that?"

Jean-Pierre responded that the Biden administration would impose lockdowns if the "experts" recommended shutdowns.

"Well, we listen to — like I said, we listen to the CDC and the expert and their guidance. Our — you know, our — the CDC is a body that is very well respected. And we fol- — again, we follow their guidance," Jean-Pierre stated, as reported by BizPac Review.

Crenshaw shared the admission that the Biden administration would implement lockdowns if scientists advised to do so, and captioned the tweet: "If the CDC, Biden, or any local leader recommends another lockdown, don't comply. Businesses. Schools. Restaurants. No one should comply."

If the CDC, Biden, or any local leader recommends another lockdown, don’t comply. Businesses. Schools. Restaurants… https://t.co/893JrgXerw

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1627590239.0

Crenshaw made an appearance on Fox News' "Primetime" on Thursday night, where he blasted Democrats and doubled-down on telling Americans not to comply with new lockdowns and mandates.

"Look, the vaccines are actually effective," Crenshaw started. "I actually believe the FDA's data on this. Not only are they effective, but the FDA still stands by their assertion and their assessment of the data that says that the vaccines here in the United States are effective against transmission including the Delta variant."

"So the CDC is in direct confrontation with the FDA. I believe the FDA on this one," the Republican from Texas continued. "I think they tend to be more risk averse, and so they tend to get the science a little bit more right, more often. And I think the CDC has been politicized in this case I think from pressure from the administration.

"Again, because I think the Democrats love to instill fear in the hearts of Americans. And I think Americans are really sick of this. They're over it," Crenshaw stated. "They're not gonna comply, and you shouldn't comply with any more lockdowns, with any more mandates, none of it."

For once the stooges from Vox get my position exactly right.Do not comply with lockdowns. https://t.co/naJT9FOlpx

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1627654679.0

This isn't the first time that Crenshaw advised Americans to reject lockdowns. In January, Crenshaw urged businesses to defy any new lockdown orders after a spike in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Houston area triggered a shutdown in Texas.

"Businesses should not comply. Lockdowns are not supported by law, they are unconstitutional edicts," Crenshaw proclaimed at the time. "Law enforcement should not enforce this. Stop stealing people's right to make a living."

Crenshaw also railed against mask mandates this week, particularly a study that the CDC reportedly used to justify mask mandates. In a Twitter thread, Crenshaw attacked the CDC for using a study on masks from India that was "rejected in peer review."

"Here's the truth America: The 'game changer' data the CDC used for the mask mandate is from a single study from India," Crenshaw began the Twitter thread. "The study was rejected in peer review. But CDC used it anyway.

"Even worse, the study followed healthcare workers vaccinated with a vaccine not allowed in the US," he exclaimed.

Then Research Square changed the status to “revise” and said it was a glitch. https://t.co/y9NwTFg0LA

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1627500824.0

Does the Administration have any more data to show us?No, according to the latest from STAT https://t.co/JZAPa2M9Qg

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1627500827.0

The new CDC guidance on mandating that masks be worn indoors, even by fully vaccinated individuals, was cited in a new order from the Capitol Police requiring face masks be worn "at all times" on the House side of the Capitol complex. The new order states that Capitol Police are to arrest House staff who refuse to comply with mask mandate, which incensed many Republican lawmakers.

USA Today deletes 'hurtful language' from op-ed by female HS sprinter angry she's lost to biological males. What apparently was so 'hurtful'? She called them 'males.'



USA Today is feeling the backlash after deleting what it termed "hurtful language" from an op-ed by a female high school sprinter upset that's she's been forced to race against — and has lost to — biological males who identify as female. In short, transgender females.

And what apparently was so "hurtful"?

Whatever else she may have written, Chelsea Mitchell referred to her aforementioned opponents as "male" or "males" — and USA Today later cut those references from her piece.

See, in WokeWorld, that's known as "misgendering" — and it's a no-no.

What are the details?

Townhall said Mitchell's USA Today op-ed first ran over the weekend — but by Tuesday the paper added an editor's note at the top: "This column has been updated to reflect USA TODAY's standards and style guidelines. We regret that hurtful language was used."

Alliance Defending Freedom — which is representing Mitchell and other female Connecticut track athletes in a lawsuit over having to compete against transgender females — stated that USA Today editors "without notice to Chelsea, changed the word 'male' to 'transgender' throughout her piece."

Indeed, the Internet Archive reveals that the May 23 version of Mitchell's USA Today op-ed contains 11 references to "male" and "males" — but they all were either deleted outright or replaced with the word "transgender" in the piece's present form.

Here's one example from Mitchell's original piece: "Instead, all I can think about is how all my training, everything I've done to maximize my performance, might not be enough, simply because there's a runner on the line with an enormous physical advantage: a male body."

Catch those last three words? Well, they're gone now.

The new sentence uses the word "transgender" before "runner" — and the words "a male body" have vanished: "Instead, all I can think about is how all my training, everything I've done to maximize my performance, might not be enough, simply because there's a transgender runner on the line with an enormous physical advantage."

What's been the reaction?

As you might expect, folks got angry at USA Today. Christiana Holcomb of ADF certainly gave the paper what for:

What was the "hurtful language" that editors deleted from Chelsea's opinion piece three days after publication? The word "male." 2/3

— Christiana Holcomb (@ChristianaADF) 1622051367.0

Author Abigail Shrier — who knows something about the subject (and getting deleted for her views) — weighed in as well:

Outrageous. @usatoday changed Mitchell's words, post-publication, on the grounds that the word "male" is hurtful.… https://t.co/NGC4pG7cqX

— Abigail Shrier (@AbigailShrier) 1622082224.0

This is the second incident I've heard of where leftist propaganda outlets such as USA Today have altered words pos… https://t.co/vAKPlirBed

— Mollie (@MZHemingway) 1622080933.0

Absolutely incredible. You literally can't make an argument in corporate media with conceding to the terms set by t… https://t.co/on7IsOk7MG

— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) 1622080384.0

And U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) was only too happy to crack that quip:

Hey @USATODAY, since you’ve decided to be a propoganda arm for the woke mob and silence a young female athlete, may… https://t.co/u3s8GQgvdw

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1622133846.0

Anything else?

The below video is one example of what Mitchell and other female athletes have been up against. It's from the 2018 Connecticut girls' 100-meter dash. Mitchell is the third runner from the left. The runners to her left and right — Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood — are transgender females.

The results? Mitchell came in fourth. Miller and Yearwood came in first and second, respectively. In fact, Miller set a meet record that day. But had Miller and Yearwood not been allowed to race against biological females, one might conclude that Mitchell would have finished higher that fourth.

Terry Miller of Bulkeley wins the 100m girls dash i. 11.72 (meet record). Andraya Yearwood of Cromwell 2nd, RHAM’s… https://t.co/ivpGzIFM5v

— GameTimeCT (@GameTimeCT) 1528145089.0

Dan Crenshaw schools Liz Warren on taxes: 'Use all the data Senator'



Democrat Sen. Liz Warren (Mass.) offered up some misleading numbers in order to advocate for her far left wealth tax proposal, but Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw (Texas) set her straight on Twitter.

Warren offered a well-worn argument in support of raising taxes on the wealthy in a tweet on Monday.

"The 99% in America paid 7.2% of their total wealth in taxes last year, while the top 0.1% paid only 3.2%. The wealthy and well-connected need to start paying their fair share," Warren said.

While the statistic Warren quoted was accurate, it offered a skewed view of who actually takes on most of the tax burden.

Crenshaw offered the other side of the argument.

"Very weak argument, Senator. Facts: The top 1% pay about 40% of total federal revenue," Crenshaw responded.

Very weak argument, Senator. Facts: The top 1% pay about 40% of total federal revenue. The bottom 50% of earners… https://t.co/GVo2e6r8lq

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) 1621356844.0

"The bottom 50% of earners pay about 3% of total federal revenue. Use all the data Senator. It will make you better informed," he added.

Warren's intellectual sleight of hand involved calculating the rates according to the wealth of each group and not the income of each group, which is how taxes are collected.

A chart from the Heritage Foundation offered further clarification on how progressive the tax system already is in the U.S.

Image Source: Heritage Foundation website screenshot

According to figures from the Internal Revenue Service, the top 1% garnered 21% of all income earned, but paid 40% of all income taxes.

Similarly, the top 5% garnered 37% of all income earned, but they paid 60% of all of the income taxes.

Some economists warn that the kind of wealth tax scheme proposed by Warren and other Democrats would harm the economy and hurt those they intend to help the most.

Here's more about Warren's wealth tax proposal:

Here's how Elizabeth's Warren's wealth tax would workwww.youtube.com

'Fossil fuels are the only thing that saved us': Dan Crenshaw replies to leftists mocking massive electric grid failure in Texas



Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw of Texas drafted a refutation of what he said were "leftists" on social media mocking his state for the massive electric grid failure in the face of a historically brutal snow storm.

Crenshaw addressed the mockery made by some who blamed the infrastructure failure on Republican policies.

"With blackouts across Texas, many are wondering: what happened? Leftists are cheering a 'red state' having energy problems. Here's the truth about what happened," Crenshaw tweeted.

With blackouts across Texas, many are wondering: what happened? Leftists are cheering a “red state” having energ… https://t.co/3oH7sTvncJ
— Dan Crenshaw (@Dan Crenshaw)1613515883.0

"A mix of over-subsidized wind energy and under-investment in gas power means we didn't have enough base load energy for a massive spike in demand. Also, Texas infrastructure isn't designed for once-in-a-century freezes," he explained.

Crenshaw said that power regulators had planned on energy coming in from wind turbines in West Texas, but they had frozen under the extreme weather conditions. Making matters worse, the batteries that were supposed to store energy were losing 60% of their efficacy because of the cold.

To make matters worse, existing storage of wind energy in batteries was also gone, because batteries were losing 60% of their energy in the cold.

Bottom line: renewables don't work well in extreme weather. Never will.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) February 16, 2021

"Bottom line: renewables don't work well in extreme weather. Never will," he added.

Crenshaw said that four existing nuclear power plants near Houston and Dallas were also knocked out because of the unexpected cold. "On another note, this shows how safe nuclear is. Lots of safety precautions," he added in a parenthetical.

Natural gas lines also suffered from freezes that undermined energy delivery the state depended upon.

"Gov. Abbott made the right call in diverting all natural gas to home heating fuel and then electricity for homes. Gas and coal brought a stable supply of energy, but still not enough," said Crenshaw.

Bottom line: fossil fuels are the only thing that saved us. They are *base load* energy.

If we were even *more* reliant on the wind turbines that froze, the outages would have been much worse.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) February 16, 2021

Crenshaw concluded that the energy disaster proved that the state would need to rely on fossil fuels in the future and not renewable energy sources.

"Bottom line: fossil fuels are the only thing that saved us. They are *base load* energy. If we were even *more* reliant on the wind turbines that froze, the outages would have been much worse," he said.

Crenshaw might have been responding to his detractors who drudged up an old tweet from his timeline where he mocked Democratic energy policies for the rolling blackouts in California. As a result, "Dan Crenshaw" was trending nationally on Tuesday.

Millions of Texans were left without electricity in frigid temperatures from the massive snow storm afflicting the greater region. Officials reported 5 fatalities so far from the storm on Tuesday.

Crenshaw added that he and his colleagues in Texas would work on getting to the bottom of what caused the disaster.

Here's more about the snow disaster in Texas:

Millions in Texas lose power during major winter storm and record low temperatureswww.youtube.com