Things got heated on ‘Meet the Press‘ this Sunday when host Chuck Todd sparred with Republican congressman Dan Crenshaw (Texas) over his party’s willingness to embrace Donald Trump’s lies about the election.
Pressed on Republicans in the House voting Liz Cheney out of her leadership role, Crenshaw said House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy felt that there was a “disagreement” over the election and it’s “time to move on.” He then listed off a number of issues he’s focusing on including the border crisis and inflation.
But, Todd was not ready to move on just yet and at one point flat out ask Rep. Crenshaw, “why should anybody believe a word you say if the Republican Party itself doesn’t have credibility?”
“There’s not a disagreement about the facts,” Todd said. “So do any of your critiques come across as credible if you can’t accept the fundamental fact that our democracy held a free and fair election?”
Things got heated when Todd asked Crenshaw why he signed on to a lawsuit from Texas last year that sought to overturn the results of the election.
“You guys in the press painted that as some extreme action. Of course, it wasn’t,” Crenshaw responded. “That amicus brief was a simple question of the Supreme Court in saying, can you please speak to this question of whether process changes in the election last minute, not approved by the legislature, can be deemed constitutional? It was a question. They didn’t want to answer that question. I said it’s unconstitutional for us to overturn the election in Congress. I voted to certify.”
“This is the issue many people have. You’re sitting here trying to say, ‘No, no, no, I just had a specific question.’ Yet, what you did gets weaponized by the former president,” Todd shot back. “I understand you want to put this behind you, but he is the leader of your party and he doesn’t stop talking about this nonsense.”
“He’s one of many leaders in the party. He’s a former president,” Crenshaw replied. “We’re five months into President Biden’s presidency. There is a time to move on. You guys in the press love doing this, and I get it, right, that the press is largely liberal.”
Todd interjected: “No, no, no .Don’t start that. There’s nothing lazier than that excuse.”
“I’m not going to take the bait,” Crenshaw said.
“I’m not trying to bait you” Todd replied and insisted that he was just trying to find why the Republican Party is “rallying around this bizarre lie and mythology” spread by Donald Trump.
“I already debunked the notion that there’s no space in the party for that. Remember, Liz won that first leadership vote,” Crenshaw said.
“She’s not there now,” Todd shot back.
