U.S. Reps. Chip Roy and Tony Gonzales, both Republicans representing San Antonio, voted against censuring Congressman Paul Gosar for posting an animated video that depicted him murdering a Democratic congresswoman and assaulting President Biden.
Gosar, a Republican who’s also openly courted White Nationalists, is the first member of the House to be formally rebuked in more than a decade. He was also stripped of his two committee assignments through the vote.
The final tally was 223-207-1, with three non-votes. It fell largely along party lines with only two Republicans agreeing to rebuke their colleague.
The video in question was an altered clip from the anime Attack on Titan that depicted Gosar executing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, by slashing the back of her neck with a sword, then attacking Biden.
Gosar hasn’t apologized for sharing the clip on Twitter. However, he did take it down — after it received 3 million views.
Democratic congressional leaders and political observers say the vote shows an increasing willingness by the Republican Party to turn a blind eye to extremism and violent rhetoric among its own lawmakers and its base.
“Anyone who shares content of themselves murdering a coworker on social media would be fired without hesitation in any other workplace,” said Bridget Todd, communications director at UltraViolet, a group that combats sexism in politics and media. “There should be no difference in Congress.”
San Antonio’s three Democratic House members — U.S. Reps. Joaquin Castro, Henry Cuellar and Lloyd Doggett — voted for Gosar’s censure.
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This article appears in Nov 17-29, 2021.