NEW YORK (1010 WINS) -- House Democrats will introduce a resolution to censure Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar after he posted a photoshopped anime video showing him attacking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and lunging at President Joe Biden with swords.
Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib, Eric Swalwell, Jackie Speier and Debbie Wasserman Schultz were among a group of 20 elected officials who called for the Republican to be censured Wednesday. Fellow 'Squad' member Rep. Ilhan Omar and New York Reps. Jerry Nadler, Nydia Velázquez and Ritchie Torres are cosponsors.
“For a member of Congress to post a manipulated video on his social media accounts depicting himself killing Represenatatvie Alexandria Ocasio -Cortez and attack President Biden is a clear cut case for censure,” a statement on the measure said. “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.”
The politicians also invoke the Capitol riot, and how “vicious and vulgar messaging can and does foment actual violence.”
Gosar sent out the video Sunday evening, saying “Any anime fans out there?” with the 90-second clip, which appears to show an edited version of the opening credits for the Japanese anime series “Attack on Titan.” It is no longer on the platform.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to the tweet, calling Gosar “creepy.”
“So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me,” she said. “And he’ll face no consequences bc [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy] cheers him on with excuses.”
She also called him a “collection of wet toothpicks” in another tweet, and said in an Instagram story, “That man couldn’t add two single digits together if he tried.”
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Gosar defended the post, and said it "depicts the symbolic nature of a battle between lawful and unlawful policies and in no way intended to be a targeted attack."
The White House joined many politicians in pushing back against Gosar, with principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying, “There is no place for any type of violence or that type of language in the political system. It should not be happening, and we should be condemning it.”
The resolution is set to be introduced Friday.