House censures GOP’s Gosar over cartoon showing him stab AOC

Rep. Paul Gosar takes an elevator on Capitol Hill as the House prepared to vote on a resolution to censure him for tweeting an animated video that depicted him striking Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword. The tense relationship between House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy hit another low Wednesday as they sparred over Democrats’ censure of a Republican member who shared a violent animated video of himself killing a Democratic colleague. “It is sad that this entire House must take this step because of the refusal of the leadership of the other party.” In his own floor remarks, McCarthy said the “Pelosi precedent” means that all Democrats who have been accused of inciting violence or antisemitism in recent years, such as Reps. Maxine Waters and Ilhan Omar, will have to survive a vote to keep their committee assignments in the future. “It sets a dangerous and disturbing precedent that will likely change the character of the House in the years to come — and not for the better,” warned Cole, who conceded that Gosar’s post was “provocative” and “inappropriate.” “And the majority is doing so solely to play politics with this moment and to score a cheap political point at the expense of a member of the minority.” Republicans noted that Pelosi also stripped Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of her committee assignments and rejected two of McCarthy’s picks to serve on a committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. Cole, the top Republican on the Rules Committee, argued that Gosar deserves credit for removing the clip after McCarthy called the congressman to convey “that this video was inappropriate,” releasing a public statement and telling his colleagues at a conference meeting Tuesday morning that he doesn’t condone or endorse violence.