Who is Dan Crenshaw? Freshman Congressman who spoke at RNC is considered a rising star

WASHINGTON – Freshman Congressman Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, who is considered to be a rising star in the Republican party, spoke Wednesday at the Republican National Convention, calling the United States "a country of heroes" but never mentioning President Donald Trump by name.  

Crenshaw spoke about heroism and touted American freedom, saying, "We are a people with a common set of ideals conceived in liberty. A people that has sacrificed time and again for our freedom, and the freedom of others. That’s something no other country – ever, anywhere – can claim."

"America's heroism isn't relegated to the battlefield," Crenshaw said.

Crenshaw, 36, is a highly decorated Navy SEAL. During a mission in Afghanistan's Helmand province in 2012, a homemade bomb exploded that destroyed Crenshaw's right eye and killed his interpreter. 

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He medically retired from the military in 2016, after 10 years serving on SEAL teams and earning two Bronze Stars, the Purple Heart and the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor.

Afterwards, he completed his master’s degree in public administration at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government before being elected in November 2018 to Congress, representing a Houston-area district.

He was viewed as an outsider to politics and lauded as a possible "unifier" of the parties. He has since become a high-profile critic of Democrats.

Crenshaw has supported some of Trump's stances on immigration, such as building a border wall, but also criticized Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign. On his Facebook page, Crenshaw slammed then-candidate Trump's "insane rhetoric" toward Muslims and "hateful" speech. 

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Crenshaw gained national attention just days before being elected to Congress when Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson made fun of the eye patch the military veteran has worn since being wounded in Afghanistan.

He said in a December 2018 Twitter post that he has a glass eye, but wears the eye patch in public because he’s noticed it’s distracting to people.

Amid the outrage over Davidson's remark, Crenshaw shrugged it off as no big deal. But the following week, Crenshaw appeared on the show alongside Davidson to take a few all-in-good-fun potshots at the comedian, accepted his apology and offered some perspective.

"There's a lot of lessons to learn here," Crenshaw said. "Not just that the left and the right can still agree on some things, but also this: That Americans can forgive one another. We can remember what brings us together as a country and still see the good in each other."

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Crenshaw told the Washington Examiner in 2019 that he regards himself as a "communicator above all else" and wishes to make "conservatism cool again."

And while he has been critical of Trump over his policies, he has also become well known for his appearances on conservative outlets to defend the president. 

As Trump was criticized for his response to the coronavirus pandemic, Crenshaw staunchly defended the president's response to COVID-19, in which Trump called the Reps. performance, "BRILLIANT, A MUST WATCH!"

Crenshaw praised Trump's partial travel restrictions from China and stated the president couldn't be blamed for not acting sooner against COVID-19.

The Congressman has been criticized for spreading some misinformation regarding coronavirus, with more than 100 doctors, medical professionals, and emergency room physicians from the Houston area signing their names in a July letter condemning him.

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During a virtual “MAGA meetup”— a gathering of Trump supporters —  in July, Crenshaw made headlines for questioning fellow veteran and Sen. Tammy Duckworth's, D-Illinois., patriotism, accusing her of supporting the “destruction of America" for suggesting there should be a "national dialogue" about removing various statues and monuments of the Founding Fathers. 

Duckworth said in response that she doesn't want statues of George Washington pulled down, and “appreciates Congressman Crenshaw’s service to our nation and will continue defending his First Amendment right to say whatever he wants, including that he believes dialogues are ‘worthy of criticism’ in a country founded on the right to free speech.” 

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Crenshaw is currently in a high-profile reelection campaign. He is running against Sima Ladjevardian, an Iranian-born lawyer and political activist who was an adviser to former Rep. Beto O’Rourke in his close senate race against Sen. Ted Cruz. 

On Wednesday, before his RNC speech, Crenshaw appeared on Fox News to call the fact that former Secretary of State and the 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton urged Joe Biden to not concede defeat on the election night, no matter the circumstances, as “eerie.”

Contributing: John C Moritz Austin Bureau, Corpus Christi Caller Times