Politics

Rep. Dan Crenshaw Slams Decision To Cancel Speech By Pro-Life Congressman At Cyber Conference

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David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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Texas Republican Rep. Dan Crenshaw on Saturday emphatically rejected a decision to cancel a speech by a pro-life congressman to a cyber security conference.

After being invited to address the Black Hat conference, Texas Republican Rep. Will Hurd was told he wasn’t welcome to address attendees because of his pro-life policies and his voting record against abortion legislation.

U.S. Congressmen James Langevin (D-RI) and Will Hurd (R-Tex) respond to questions during a session at the Def Con hacker convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. on July 29, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

U.S. Congressmen James Langevin (D-RI) and Will Hurd (R-Tex) respond to questions during a session at the Def Con hacker convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. on July 29, 2017. REUTERS/Steve Marcus

Crenshaw was aghast, tweeting, “Seriously? Can’t have cyber experts in they also believe babies have value? We should not appease intolerance. The tech industry welcoming this behavior will be in for a rude awakening when their intersectional coalition regulates innovation & free-markets out of existence.” (RELATED: Dan Crenshaw Says Rashida Tlaib’s ‘Deeply Immoral’ Cash Give Away Plan Is A Basic ‘Misunderstanding Of Economics’)

 

Hurd was the conference’s choice for keynote speaker, but one day after heralding his appearance, Black Hat conference organizers apparently caved to criticism of Hurd’s politics, Axios reported Friday.

“We misjudged the separation of technology and politics,” organizers wrote to explain their decision, according to Axios.

The congressman is not a highly partisan lawmaker and has been known to vote with House Democrats on some bills. (RELATED: Bill Maher Makes Fried Chicken Joke To Black Congressman)

The Black Hat conference is considered to be one of the premier events in the cyber security world.

Apparently, no other speaker has ever been uninvited to a similar event because of his or her moral or political beliefs.

Pro-life and pro-choice demonstrators rally outside the Supreme Court on January 18, 2019. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)

Pro-choice activists hold signs in response to anti-abortion activists participating in the “March for Life,” outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, January 18, 2019. (Photo by  SAUL LOEB/AFP/Getty Images)

“Representative Hurd was honored to be invited and hopes that the Black Hat Conference is a success,” Hurd’s communication director, Katie Thompson, emailed to Axios. “Congressman Hurd has always sought to engage groups of people that don’t necessarily agree with all of his votes or opinions. That’s why Rep. Hurd is one of the loudest voices for bipartisanship in Congress,” she added.