POLITICS
Rep. Paul Gosar is censured over an anime video depicting him of killing AOC
November 18, 20217:22 AM ETHeard on Morning Edition
Lawmakers in the House censured GOP Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona over an anime video that showed a character killing another character meant to be Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
NOEL KING, HOST:
The House of Representatives has censured Arizona Congressman Paul Gosar. He tweeted an anime-style video that showed a character that looks like him killing another character meant to be New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Here’s NPR’s Barbara Sprunt.
BARBARA SPRUNT, BYLINE: The blowback was swift. During the floor debate, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said depictions of violence can jeopardize the safety of elected officials.
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NANCY PELOSI: Disguising death threats against a member of Congress and a president of the United States in an animated video does not make those death threats any less real or less serious.
SPRUNT: The No. 2 House Democrat, Steny Hoyer, said the censure resolution wasn’t about partisanship but accountability for one member threatening the life of a colleague.
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STENY HOYER: Can’t that appall you, even that act? Do you have no shame?
SPRUNT: Many Republican lawmakers did not defend the video but said the resolution goes too far. GOP leader Kevin McCarthy argued Democrats were doing this for political gain.
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KEVIN MCCARTHY: For Democrats, this vote isn’t about a video. It’s about control. That’s the one and only thing Democrats are interested in.
SPRUNT: But Ocasio-Cortez criticized McCarthy for making it all about politics.
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ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ: What is so hard about saying that this is wrong?
SPRUNT: Gosar listened as his colleagues debated his fate. When it was his turn to speak, he defended the video.
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PAUL GOSAR: I do not espouse violence towards anyone. I never have. It was not my purpose to make anyone upset. I voluntarily took the cartoon down, not because it was itself a threat but because some thought it was.
SPRUNT: Gosar, who will lose his committee assignments, did not express regret, nor did he apologize. Republicans Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger joined all Democrats in supporting the censure. After the vote, Gosar stood in the well of the chamber, surrounded by about a dozen colleagues, as the resolution was read.
Barbara Sprunt, NPR News.
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