House Democrats Introduce Resolution to Censure Paul Gosar Over Anime Clip Depicting Him Killing AOC

Bill Clark-Pool/Getty Images

A group of House Democrats introduced a resolution Wednesday night to censure Republican colleague Paul Gosar.

Gosar posted an anime meme Monday depicting him killing Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Joe Biden. The tweet was widely condemned and Speaker Nancy Pelosi called for congressional investigations.

Gosar’s tweet has since been taken down, but in a Tuesday statement saying he doesn’t “espouse violence,” he defended the video as a symbolic depiction of “a battle between lawful and unlawful policies and in no way intended to be a targeted attack against Representative Cortez or Mr. Biden.”

Now several Democrats — including Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Ayanna Pressley — have introduced a resolution calling for censure.

“For a Member of Congress to post a manipulated video on his social media accounts depicting himself killing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Biden is a clear cut case for censure. For that Member to post such a video on his official Instagram account and use his official congressional resources in the House of Representatives to further violence against elected officials goes beyond the pale,” their statement says.

They invoke January 6 and how women in politics have been targets of violence around the world.

“Minority Leader McCarthy’s silence is tacit approval and just as dangerous,” they add.