Pete Davidson criticized for mocking candidate who lost eye in Afghanistan
Pete Davidson, a cast member on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," is under fire for mocking the appearance of Dan Crenshaw, a Republican candidate for Congress in Texas who lost his eye in Afghanistan. In a segment that aired Saturday, Davidson gave his first impressions of several midterm candidates, including Rick Scott and Peter King.
"This guy is kinda cool, Dan Crenshaw. You may be surprised to hear he's a congressional candidate from Texas, and not a hitman in a porno movie," Davidson said with a laugh. "I'm sorry. I know he lost his eye in war or whatever ... Whatever."
Crenshaw spent 10 years as a member of the Navy SEALs. In 2012, he was hit with a blast from an improvised explosive device in the Helmand province that destroyed his right eye, according to his campaign website. He retired in 2016 and left the service with two Bronze Stars, a Purple Heart and the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor.
Crenshaw tweeted a response to Davidson's comments Sunday afternoon.
Good rule in life: I try hard not to offend; I try harder not to be offended. That being said, I hope @nbcsnl recognizes that vets don’t deserve to see their wounds used as punchlines for bad jokes.
— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 4, 2018
After defeating State Rep. Kevin Roberts in a May primary, Crenshaw faces Todd Litton, a Democrat, in the race for Texas' 2nd Congressional District.
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) responded to the "SNL" segment on Sunday, demanding an apology from Davidson and the network. "Pete Davidson and NBC should immediately apologize to Dan, and to the millions of veterans and military families who tune in every weekend - because they're not laughing," committee spokesperson Jack Pandol said.
Meghan McCain, daughter of the late Sen. John McCain, tweeted that the segment was tone deaf. "This is really awful and incredibly tone-deaf and offensive to veterans, their families and all who serve. Come on SNL, do better."