Rep. Dan Crenshaw challenges Shawn Ryan to interview after alleged lawsuit threat: 'SEAL to SEAL'

U.S. Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, challenged conservative podcast host and former Navy SEAL Shawn Ryan to a one-on-one interview after Ryan claimed last week that Crenshaw was threatening to sue him for defamation after raising questions about Crenshaw's net worth since becoming a member of Congress.

"They want me to remove content, issue a public apology and stop talking about him," Ryan said in a defiant video he posted on X. "I'm not going to do any of that."

????IMMEDIATE RELEASE???? Congressman Dan Crenshaw Threatens to Sue Shawn Ryan.@DanCrenshawTX@RepDanCrenshawpic.twitter.com/9qIV6wLy8k

— Shawn Ryan (@ShawnRyan762) December 11, 2025

Ryan claimed that Crenshaw, who is also a former Navy SEAL, sent him a private message on Instagram after Ryan appeared to raise questions about Crenshaw's alleged exorbitant spending since becoming a member of Congress in 2019.

Ryan showed the relevant clip, which he made in an interview with Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard in September 2024, during which he made no explicit mention of Crenshaw, but was obviously speaking of him when he asked how a certain member of Congress was able to host a lavish Christmas party featuring expensive DJ Steve Aoki.

Crenshaw has denied hiring Aoki for a private party, claiming instead that he simply attended a party that featured him.

"Hey Shawn, you have the ability to contact your fellow Team Guy if you've got a problem with me or have questions about how I’m getting 'rich.' Some of my boys at 6 told me about your indirect swipe at me. From the comment you made, it sounds like you have some beliefs that are based on trendy narratives instead of facts," Crenshaw wrote to Ryan in the Instagram message Ryan shared from September 2024.

Noting how Crenshaw was caught on a hot mic threatening to "f---ing kill" conservative political commentator Tucker Carlson if he ever ran into him, Ryan raised concerns regarding whether Crenshaw was trying to threaten him by mentioning other members of the elite SEAL Team 6.

Crenshaw later clarified that his comments about Carlson were hyperbole, though Carlson has been publicly critical of Crenshaw for years, calling him an "unbalanced warmonger" and "Eyepatch McCain" to mock his hawkish foreign policy.

Crenshaw pushed back against Ryan's characterization of his message, tweeting Thursday, "Sorry Shawn, but it is not believable that a fellow SEAL actually read this message and believed I was threatening to 'whoop his ass.'" He also dismissed the claims in Ryan's video as "silly" and "clickbait."

Crenshaw also posted a video to X on Friday addressing Ryan's claims and challenged Ryan to a one-on-one interview on Ryan's podcast.

"SEAL to SEAL. Your audience. Your platform. Live. If you’re not afraid of the truth, have me on. Yes or no?" Crenshaw wrote, to which Ryan replied, "Perfect Dan, January 2nd it is. Our attorneys can work out the details."

Update to the absurd Shawn Ryan saga: I’ve proposed we go on his show, man to man, and get to the truth. His platform. His audience. Live. Working out the details to make it happen. pic.twitter.com/UL4jfHk4BH

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) December 13, 2025

A letter obtained by OutKick that Ryan's attorney, Timothy Parlatore, reportedly fired off to Crenshaw's lawyers last week, presented the congressman's net worth as fair game for scrutiny.

"Mr. Ryan's original commentary — which apparently wounded your client's pride — concerned legitimate questions about Congressman Crenshaw's personal wealth accumulation during his time in Congress and his hosting of an extravagant party that raised eyebrows about the source of his newfound affluence," the letter said in part.

"These are matters of significant public concern. Congressman Crenshaw is a public official who makes decisions affecting millions of Americans and manages a substantial stock portfolio while having access to non-public information."

The letter went on to note that "multiple media outlets" have raised concerns about congressional insider trading, and that Crenshaw "is not immune from such scrutiny."

"Mr. Ryan, as a journalist and commentator, has every right to question how a congressman affords a lifestyle that appears inconsistent with a $174,000 congressional salary," the letter added.