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NYT Contributor Calls Out Dan Crenshaw For Not Sponsoring 9/11 Victim Fund — There’s Only One Problem

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New York Times contributor Wajahat Ali inaccurately called out Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw for not sponsoring the 9/11 Victim Compensation Fund via Twitter Tuesday.

But the Texas congressman is listed as one of the bill’s co-sponsors on the Congressional website along with more than 300 other lawmakers — a fact that Crenshaw was quick to make Ali aware of.

“Anytime a Republican says they are ‘patriots’ ask them if they voted to fund the 9/11 Victims Compensation Fund. You know who’s for it? Ilhan Omar,” Ali wrote. “You know who hasn’t sponsored it? Dan Crenshaw. @DanCrenshawTX, I hope you do the right thing. If not, why aren’t you?”

The tweet has since been deleted, but was saved by Daily Wire reporter Ryan Saavedra:

Ali’s comment included a link to an ABC News Politics clip of former The Daily Show host and 9/11 victim advocate Jon Stewart criticizing lawmakers Monday for allowing the Victim Compensation Fund — which compensates 9/11 first responders and bystanders who inadvertently breathed toxic particles — to run low.

“Hey ‘journalist,’ maybe you should check your facts,” Crenshaw wrote, responding to Ali’s charge. “I am a co-sponsor. Nice try though.” (RELATED: Dan Crenshaw Says Rashida Tlaib’s ‘Deeply Immoral’ Cash Giveaway Plan Is A ‘Basic Misunderstanding Of Economics’)

The Texas congressman also presumably included an X-Ray of his own skull after the words, “Also, ‘patriotism.'” Crenshaw lost his right eye in an IED blast while serving in Afghanistan.

The September 11th Victim Compensation Fund (VCF) was originally created by Congress as a way to compensate 9/11 victims in exchange for not suing the airlines which owned the hijacked planes. It has been funded several times since then but has faced financial problems of late due to a spike in the number of claims.

The Never Forget The Heroes Act would fund the VCF through fiscal year 2090, according to NPR.

Ali’s Ted Talk profile describes him as a “New York Times contributing op-ed writer, recovering attorney, playwright and exhausted dad” who “celebrates the diverse narratives of the United States and advocates for a more inclusive cultural landscape.”

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