Shawn Ryan Show

🚨 IMMEDIATE RELEASE 🚨 Rep. Dan Crenshaw Threatens to Sue Shawn Ryan...

December 11, 2025

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  • Shawn Ryan publicly announced that he received a legal demand letter from Congressman Dan Crenshaw's lawyers threatening a defamation lawsuit over comments regarding Crenshaw's wealth, an expensive party, and stock trading. 
  • The core of the legal dispute stems from Ryan's interpretation of an Instagram message from Crenshaw referencing "My boys at six" (SEAL Team Six Development Group) as a threat, which Crenshaw's lawyers claim constitutes defamation. 
  • Ryan refuses to comply with the demands to remove content or apologize, stating he will use the potential litigation's discovery process to pursue his original questions about Crenshaw's finances and wealth accumulation while in office. 

Segments

Addressing Legal Demand Letter
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(00:00:31)
  • Key Takeaway: Shawn Ryan publicly confirmed receiving a legal demand letter from Congressman Dan Crenshaw’s lawyers on December 9th, 2025.
  • Summary: The letter threatened a defamation lawsuit over comments made on the podcast regarding a message Crenshaw sent. The demands included removing content, issuing a public apology, and ceasing discussion about the Congressman. Ryan immediately stated his refusal to comply with any of these demands.
Context of Initial Criticism
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(00:01:14)
  • Key Takeaway: The initial criticism focused on Congressman Crenshaw’s expensive party, the hiring of DJ Steve Aoki, and questions regarding his wealth accumulation on a Congressional salary ($174,000 annually).
  • Summary: Ryan noted that his initial comments did not even mention Crenshaw by name, focusing instead on the perceived extravagance. He linked these concerns to broader reporting on congressional insider trading and members trading stocks with access to non-public information. Ryan asserted these were legitimate questions for a public official.
Crenshaw’s Instagram Message
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(00:02:40)
  • Key Takeaway: Congressman Crenshaw sent an Instagram message stating, “My boys at six told me about your indirect swipe at me,” which Ryan interpreted as threatening.
  • Summary: Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL, referenced members of SEAL Team Six Development Group in response to criticism about his wealth. Ryan contrasted this message with a clip of Crenshaw threatening to kill Tucker Carlson, arguing his interpretation of the message as threatening was reasonable given the context. Crenshaw’s lawyers subsequently claimed this interpretation constituted defamation.
Refusal and Litigation Stance
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(00:05:01)
  • Key Takeaway: Ryan firmly rejected the demand for an apology, asserting the issue is about a Congressman using litigation threats to silence criticism, not a misunderstanding of a message.
  • Summary: If Crenshaw proceeds with the lawsuit, Ryan intends to use the discovery process to obtain answers regarding Crenshaw’s finances and stock trading. Ryan believes Crenshaw sought to intimidate him into silence, but as a fellow veteran who has faced actual threats, a DC law firm’s demand letter is ineffective. Ryan offered Crenshaw airtime to answer the original questions about his wealth.