Video shows right-wing activists confronting GOP’s Dan Crenshaw yelling ‘Eyepatch McCain’

Dan Crenshaw speaks at a Republican-led event titled “Faith and Freedom Road to Majority” in Nashville, Tennessee, on 17 June 2022 (REUTERS)

Texas Representative Dan Crenshaw and his staff were confronted and harassed by right-wing social media activist Alex Stein at the Republican Party of Texas convention on Saturday.

Mr Stein and others, who witnesses described to Mediaite as Proud Boys, began shouting “eyepatch McCain” at the Republican lawmaker, whom they also called a “globalist Rino”.

The insult was originally coined by Tucker Carlson on his Fox News show in a discussion with Tulsi Gabbard about Russia.

Mediaite further reports Mr Stein and the others were escorted from the building and some arrests were made.

“They got physical with multiple people, including hitting them with cameras,” a witness at the scene told the outlet. “His campaign manager was assaulted by being pushed aggressively into a pillar.”

Mr Stein shared the video on his Twitter feed.

In photos provided to Mediaite, a group reported as those escorted from the building appear to be wearing Proud Boys hats.

A second clip emerged on Twitter posted by another person who was shouted at Rep Crenshaw. That video ends with a man in a “Make America Great Again” hat shouting that the Texas lawmaker is a “traitor” and “He needs to be hung for treason!”

Mr Crenshaw, a former US Navy SEAL, lost an eye while fighting in Afghanistan.

He earned the scorn of Mr Carlson in mid-May after he criticised Republicans who do not support arming Ukraine by sending $40bn in aide saying they are “pro-Russia”

“Why is Congress so focused on Ukraine but you can’t find baby formula?” Mr Carlson asked referring to the domestic shortage. “According to congressman Dan Crenshaw of Texas, asking questions like that, or really any questions at all, thinking you are a citizen, makes you ‘pro-Russia.’”

In a clip aired by Mr Carlson, Rep Crenshaw said that $40bn spent in the US would not buy anyone baby formula as the problem is “not a money issue.”

As Mr Carlson’s guest, Hawaii Democrat lawmaker Ms Gabbard said that neither party should rush to arm Ukraine or expand Nato.

It was then Mr Carlson coined the phrase: “You know, the more I think about it, it takes a lot of gall for eyepatch McCain to attack moms who are worried about baby formula as pro-Russia.”

Meghan McCain, daughter of late Senator John McCain to whom Mr Carlson was referring, called the segment “just trash” and said she didn’t think Rep Crenshaw would mind the comparison to her father.