Rep. Dan Crenshaw hit back at right-wing activists who scolded him for missing votes this week. He said he was attending a funeral of a Navy SEAL in San Diego.
The Texas Republican faced backlash on Twitter for being the only GOP member to miss a vote to establish a select subcommittee to investigate the weaponization of government.
“I missed some votes this week on account of a funeral in San Diego for my friend and fellow SEAL. Being with my brothers was simply more important,” Mr. Crenshaw wrote on Twitter, responding to tweets that noted his absence.
“Thankful that my obsessive trolls on twitter noticed my brief absence,” the lawmaker added.
Far-right activist Laura Loomer called Mr. Crenshaw a RINO, or Republican in name only, and accused him of missing work in the first official week of Congress.
“Looks like Dan is not showing up for work on purpose,” she wrote.
Mr. Crenshaw entertained her accusation by noting he did miss his vote on purpose and asked her to delete her remarks.
“Yes Laura, it was on purpose. I flew to San Diego for a funeral for a friend and active-duty SEAL. Kindly delete your toxic and obsessive trolling, if you don’t mind,” he wrote.
Mr. Crenshaw missed a vote on the rules package this week, in addition to one green-lighting the creation of the select subcommittee.
The only funeral at the federal military cemetery in San Diego on Tuesday when Mr. Crenshaw missed votes was for Cmdr. Robert Ramirez III, according to a report by the Daily Mail.
Mr. Ramirez died by suicide last month. It’s unclear if Mr. Crenshaw was attending his funeral.
Mr. Crenshaw himself is a former Navy SEAL who lost his right eye in an explosion in Afghanistan.
• Mica Soellner can be reached at msoellner@washingtontimes.com.
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