Secret CIA cable details congressman’s ‘crude’ toast that triggered a high-stakes diplomatic firestorm
CIA agents were so surprised by the behavior of a prominent Republican congressman during a trip abroad earlier this year that he was reportedly banned from traveling abroad.
Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw, who serves on the House Intelligence Committee, reportedly toasted a Mexican official’s inappropriate remarks during a meeting in August, according to Punchbowl News.
The congressman’s conduct reportedly alarmed CIA station officials in Mexico enough that they sent a cable to the agency’s headquarters in Langley, Virginia, reporting what they considered unprofessional conduct related to alcohol consumption, as well as a lack of decorum in front of Mexican officials.
Crenshaw’s grilled remarks reportedly made a woman present feel uncomfortable, according to sources who spoke with Punchbowl.
Crenshaw was visiting the United States’ southern neighbor as head of the House Intelligence Committee’s cartel task force.
It’s a role he no longer holds, according to Punchbowl.
Crenshaw himself denounced Punchbowl’s framing of the incident, accusing them of clickbait.
“Once again we are dealing with the usual media playbook of publishing sensational stories based on anonymous sources and incorrect facts,” Crenshaw wrote on X.
Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas, speaks to reporters as he exits the House chamber during the 118th Congress in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 4, 2023.
The Central Intelligence Agency seal at CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia, April 13, 2016
The Mexican flag flies over the Zocalo, the main square in Mexico City. The Metropolitan Cathedral faces the square, also called Constitution Square
“Sorry everyone, I really wish I had a better story to tell you about my time in Mexico. But the truth is actually very boring. I’m *shocked* that Punchbowl is trying to sell you subscriptions with clickbait titles. Super shocked,” Crenshaw also added.
Punchbowl also reported that the incident also angered House Intelligence Committee Chairman Rick Crawford, an Arkansas Republican, who sought to have Crenshaw kicked off the committee and banned from foreign travel, as well as Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson.
The President made the following statement in support of Crenshaw, also blaming media coverage of the case.
“Dan Crenshaw has always been and still is our point man in Congress when it comes to combating the threat of drug cartels. His insights and expertise on these and other intelligence and national security issues are invaluable,” Johnson noted.
U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) leaves the House of Representatives on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, U.S., November 18, 2025.
Representative Rick Crawford, Republican of Arkansas, listens during a House Intelligence Committee hearing in Washington, DC, U.S., Thursday, April 15, 2021.
“As a former Navy SEAL, he has earned his great platform. Despite recent media attacks from his political opponents, we know Dan, we stand by his record, and we have full confidence that he will continue to deliver results,” Johnson’s statement also noted.
Crenshaw also raised eyebrows earlier this year when he was apparently caught on a hot mic threatening to kill former Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
In February, he noted that he had not met Carlson in person, but then said, “If I ever meet him, I will kill him.” He then apparently called Carlson the “worst person.”
The remarks came after a fiery interview in which Crenshaw criticized Carlson’s opposition to U.S. aid to Ukraine, saying he “doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” according to Politico.
