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Rep. Dan Crenshaw does not mention Trump by name in RNC speech

27 August 2020
 Dan Ackermann

Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-Texas) drew on his experience as a Navy SEAL in a speech centered on American "heroes" at the Republican National Convention on Wednesday night.

Why it matters: Crenshaw, one of the youngest Republicans in the House at 36, is seen as a rising star in GOP, but his race against Sima Ladjevardian in November is gaining nationwide attention as Democrats seek to flip the seat in increasingly-purple Texas. He did not mention President Trump once during his address.

What he's saying: "8 years ago, in the fields of Helmand Province, Afghanistan, a close friend and teammate laid down cover fire against Taliban insurgents so that I could walk – blind and bloodied – to the Medevac helicopter and survive. But he didn’t. Dave was killed two months later. He died a hero to this great country," said Crenshaw, who lost his right eye in combat in Afghanistan.

  • "Here’s the truth about America: we are a country of heroes. I believe that, so should you," he added.
  • "But America’s heroism is not relegated to the battlefield. Every single day we see them… if you just know where to look. It’s the nurse who volunteers for back to back shifts caring for COVID patients because she feels that’s her duty."
  • "It's who we are – a nation of heroes, and we need you now more than ever. We need to remind ourselves what heroism really is."

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.