Paul Gosar: House votes to censor and remove Republican from committees over violent video targeting AOC and Biden

A critical resolution is the harshest form of punishment in the House, and stripping a committee member of their duties would deprive them of a strong platform to influence legislation and give voice. for constitutional priorities.

The resolution passed by the House would remove Gosar from the House Oversight and Reform Committee, which Ocasio-Cortez also serves, and the Natural Resources Committee.

“We cannot have a member joking about killing each other or threatening the President of the United States,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in a speech on the floor.

“Disguising the death threats as video doesn’t make it any less real,” she said. “It’s a sad day for the House, but a necessary one.”

House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy accused Democrats of hypocrisy, arguing that they had not responded to members of their own party in the same way.

McCarthy went on to suggest that Republicans will use the established standard to reprimand Democrats if they regain the majority. “Following the Pelosi precedent, all of the members I mentioned earlier will need majority approval to hold those positions in the future.”

In remarks on the floor of the House of Commons before the vote, Gosar challenged.

“For this caricature, some in the current Congress suggest that I should be punished. I have said emphatically that there is no threat in the caricature other than the threat that immigrants pose. out for our country. And no threat is posed by my staff or me.” he say.

“I voluntarily took down the cartoon not because it was a threat in itself, but because some people thought it was. Out of compassion for those who would normally feel offended, I censored myself. ‘ said Gosar.

How the censorship vote takes place

Once the resolution is passed, the legislator being reprimanded must stand in the well of the House while the resolution is read aloud by whoever presides in the room.

After passing the measure, Pelosi asked Gosar to present himself. She then read out the criticism and announced the removal of the MP from the commission’s duties.

As Gosar stood in the well and Pelosi read the criticism to him, a group of Republicans joined him. Ocasio-Cortez and Democratic Representative Maxine Waters of California sit in the front row as they read the report..

Democrats call for resolution

The move criticized Gosar after the Republican leader in the House of Representatives lacked action. McCarthy, who did not publicly comment on the Gosar episode until this week, said he called the Arizona Republican after the tweet, who later deleted it, but he did not explicitly condemn the behavior. by Gosar.

McCarthy said Gosar explained his actions during a caucus meeting on Tuesday morning, and his explanation was well received during the conference, according to attendees.

“He didn’t see it before it was posted. It was not his intention to show any harm,” McCarthy told reporters. “What I told the conference was that (we) cannot accept any act or expression of violence against another member.”

Amid the backlash over the video, the MP released a statement about the video, saying the video “is not intended to depict any harm or violence to anyone depicted” and calling it ” an iconic depiction of the fight against immigration policy.”

Ocasio-Cortez spoke out against Gosar’s actions and the inaction of the House leadership in remarks in the House before the vote.

“In response to the Republican leader’s statement when he said this action was unprecedented: What I believe is unprecedented is for a member of the House leadership of either party not to could condemn inciting violence against a member of this agency,” she said.

“Our work here is important. Our example is important. Our work and as leaders in this country matter when we incite violence against The depictions against our colleagues lead to violence in this country,” she said.

“It’s pretty cut and dry. Does anyone in this chamber find this behavior acceptable?”

Pelosi said Wednesday that Gosar could face criminal liability for the video.

“I think endangering the life of anyone, not just a member of Congress and certainly the President of the United States, should require the attention of law enforcement,” Pelosi said.

“If precedent was set, it would have been set in the Greene case,” Hoyer said, referring to Democrats stripping GOP Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia from her committee duties. It followed the upheaval after her previous extremist comments and apparent violent support for the Democratic Party surfaced.

“Put it on twice,” says Hoyer. “And I know there are comments that we’re going to do that to you. Honestly, I’m not aware of any similar incidents happening on our aisle side. In any case, if have a similar event action must not be a Democrat.”

Gosar walked into his office on Capitol Hill on Wednesday before the vote, but did not answer any questions. He also did not participate in the two committees meeting Wednesday morning that the House of Representatives was due to vote on to strip him of his powers later.

How will the Republican Party vote?

House leaders have recommended to their members that they vote against the resolution to censor Gosar and strip him of his committee duties, according to leadership aides.

GOP representatives Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and Liz Cheney of Wyoming have both said they plan to vote to censor Gosar.

“We must hold Members accountable to those who incite or glorify violence, who spread and carried out dangerous conspiracies. Failure to do so would take us one step further forward. this imaginary violence becomes a reality,” he said.

Cheney earlier this week said that McCarthy’s failure to act on Gosar was “indisputable.”

“Our party needs a leader that will stand for what’s right and uphold the truth, and stop trying to play these games,” Cheney told CNN.

Cheney said she would support either censoring Gosar or stripping him of his commission.

This story and title was updated with additional developments on Wednesday.