Republican Party spends $400,000 buying up copies of Texas congressman Dan Crenshaw's book for 'fundraising' - as it notches six weeks in bestseller list

• The National Republican Congressional Committee spent nearly $400,000 on copies of Rep. Dan Crenshaw's book 'Fortitude,' Playbook first reported 
• The move boosted Crenshaw's status on the bestseller list, as the Texas congressman has been on the New York Times' list for six weeks 
• But it also helped raise $1.5 million for the arm of the party tasked with winning back the House from the Democrats 

The National Republican Congressional Committee spent nearly $400,000 on copies of Rep. Dan Crenshaw's book 'Fortitude,' according to Politico's Playbook. 

The move both boosted Crenshaw's status on the bestseller list - the Texas congressman's been a New York Times bestseller for six weeks now. 

And the books are being used to entice donors to give money to the arm of the Republican Party that's focused on winning back control of the House of Representatives from Democrats and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. 

The National Republican Congressional Committee spent nearly $400,000 on copies of Rep. Dan Crenshaw's (pictured) book 

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Rep. Dan Crenshaw (left), a Texas Republican, became a bit of a household name after he was made fun of on 'Saturday Night Live' by Pete Davidson (right) 

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Now Rep. Dan Crenshaw is the author of a bestseller, though was helped by the arm of the Republican Party tasked with winning back the House from Democrats 

Crenshaw, a former Navy SEAL who lost his eye in combat, was elected in 2018 and was one of the good stories that November night for Republicans, who lost control of the House in the midterm election.  Prior to his election, Crenshaw already had cemented himself as one of the most prominent members of the incoming freshman class thanks to an uncouth joke about his eye patch made by 'Saturday Night Live's' Pete Davidson. 

'You may be surprised to hear he’s a congressional candidate from Texas and not a hitman in a porno movie,' Davidson said during a segment on 'Weekend Update.' He later apologized. 

A week later - and after he won his race - Crenshaw appeared on 'Saturday Night Live' and did his own 'Weekend Update' segment, the shtick being that he could make fun of Davidson's looks. 

'This is Pete Davidson, he looks like if the meth from "Breaking Bad" was a person,' Crenshaw said to laughs.  

Crenshaw's memoir, 'Fortitude,' was released in early April. 

The NRCC offered signed copies to potential donors. As a strong supporter of Conservative values, I thought you'd like to get one, so we're putting one aside for you for 24 hours,' read one of the NRCC solicitations, according to Playbook. 'Claim it now to make sure you receive your exclusive signed copy of my book, Fortitude.' 

'Not only will you be getting this great book, but you'll also be supporting efforts to take back President Trump's Conservative House majority in November,' it continued. 'Don't miss out on your chance to read about the divisive mob politics that is coming to characterize America, described and explained from my perspective.' 

A party official told Playbook the the promotion raised $1.5 million for the NRCC. 

The NRCC spent $240,800 at Politics and Prose, a D.C.-based private bookstore, filings showed. Playbook reported that an additional $394,800 spent on Crenshaw's book will appear on a future campaign finance filing.