During his relatively brief career on Capitol Hill, Rep. Troy Nehls has earned a reputation as a member who blurts out odd truths that tend to make him look bad. In January, for example, the Texas Republican admitted that he wanted to derail a bipartisan border bill because it might “help Joe Biden’s approval rating.”
It wasn’t an isolated incident. Remember the congressman who tied Trump’s re-election bid to the GOP’s anti-Biden impeachment drive? That was Nehls. Remember the congressman who said the anti-Biden impeachment drive was about giving Trump “a little bit of ammo”? That was Nehls. Remember the congressman who said the Ethics Committee’s findings related to then-Rep. George Santos looked “pretty damaging,” but the party should prioritize the size of its majority over propriety? That was Nehls, too.
But in recent weeks, the Texan has faced an entirely different kind of controversy. CBS News reported last month that there were questions about Nehls’ claims related to his military service, including a Combat Infantryman Badge lapel pin he wears on his suit. The report noted, “The CBS News investigation also found his Combat Infantryman Badge from Afghanistan was revoked from his service record in March 2023 because Nehls served as a civil affairs officer, not as an infantryman or Special Forces soldier.”
What’s surprising, however, is the number of GOP lawmakers who’ve been willing to criticize Nehls on the record. NOTUS reported this week:
House Republicans are accusing Rep. Troy Nehls of “stolen valor” for continuing to wear a lapel pin for infantrymen or Special Forces who fought in active combat. “It matters. As a former commander, it matters what you wear on your uniform,” Rep. Ryan Zinke, a retired Navy SEAL, told NOTUS. “And if you didn’t earn it, you shouldn’t wear it.”
To be sure, Nehls is, in fact, a U.S. Army veteran who boasted in a campaign ad that he “fought terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan.” But his apparent willingness to wear a lapel pin reserved for those who fought in active combat — which records suggest he did not do — is drawing rebukes from his ostensible partisan allies. The report added: NOTUS spoke with a dozen military veteran Republican lawmakers about Nehls’ pin. Some were granted anonymity to speak freely about their colleague. Eight expressed deep frustration with Nehls for wearing the pin. Those who were more reluctant to cast aspersions said they took the matter seriously and were independently reviewing the allegations against the Texas Republican.
Rep. Wesley Hunt, a fellow veteran and fellow Texas Republican, concluded, “That’s ridiculous. That’s stolen valor.” Nehls apparently continued to wear the pin, even after last month’s CBS News report was published, though it’s not yet clear whether the congressman is also prepared to ignore pressure from his House Republican colleagues.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past."
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