Representative Dan Crenshaw, a Texas Republican, on Friday had harsh words for the “alt-right” wing of his own party.
Crenshaw is a congressman for Texas’ 2nd Congressional District, which is predominantly made of the northern parts of the Houston metropolitan area. On Friday, The Texas Tribune published an interview with the lawmaker in which he criticized the conspiratorial, far-right elements of the Republican Party, comparing them to the so-called “far-left” and accusing them of only wanting “to wear a jersey and just scream at the other side.”
“They remind me of the far left more than anything,” Crenshaw said. “If the first words out of their mouths are ‘RINO’ and ‘establishment’ and ‘globalist,’ rest assured they are not very thoughtful and they are probably about to lie to you. I’m just sick of it.”
Interviewer Johnathan Martin suggested controversial Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, as one of the specific GOP lawmakers that he was referring to, though Crenshaw himself stopped short of naming anyone. Greene and Crenshaw have come to blows in the past, with the congresswoman in May criticizing Crenshaw for voting in favor of a bipartisan $40 billion aid package for Ukraine.
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“So you think we are funding a proxy war with Russia?” Greene tweeted, in response to Crenshaw stating that the funding would help damage Russia, a major adversary of the U.S. “You speak as if Ukrainian lives should be thrown away, as if they have no value. Just used and thrown away. For your proxy war? How does that help Americans? How does any of this help?”
“Still going after that slot on Russia Today huh?” Crenshaw hit back, alluding to the common accusation that “alt-right” Republicans tend to align themselves with Russian interests.
In The Texas Tribune interview, Crenshaw dug into the alt-right wing of the party even further, accusing them of not having an interest in actually crafting legislation.
“They don’t write any actual legislation, they won’t negotiate anything,” he said. “It’s just fire and brimstone all of the time. You’re incentivized by extra clicks, and you get extra clicks by engaging in rank dishonesty and conspiracy.”
The congressman also lamented the inability of GOP leadership in the House of Representatives to crack down on the behavior of members like Greene, saying that the idea of a controlling body in the party a “myth.”
“They don’t have many tools, there is no establishment,” Crenshaw said. “It is a myth perpetuated by people like [Greene].”
Newsweek reached out to the office of House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy for comment.