Rep. Paul Gosar's siblings say he helped 'incite' Jan. 6 Capitol attack and must resign
 
 
The siblings of Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) have long been vocal about their opposition to his right-wing views, and in an opinion piece for NBC News published Sunday, they called on him to resign, saying his actions leading up to the Jan. 6 Capitol riot were a "betrayal" to the country.
Dave Gosar, Jennifer Gosar, and Tim Gosar said they have been aware of their brothers's "unhinged behavior for years," and disagree with him on everything from his claim that COVID-19 was overblown to his support of Roy Moore's Senate run in Alabama, which came after he was accused of sexual misconduct. Now, they are focused on Gosar's role in the Jan. 6 Capitol attack.
In a direct message to their brother, the Gosars wrote that it seems "you are immune to shame. In addition to betraying your family and causing irreparable damage to the relationships within it, you decided to betray your country by helping incite the Jan. 6 domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol." They said he helped organize Stop the Steal rallies and "achieved the deplorable distinction of being the congressman with the most tweets devoted to election lies and instigating the riot."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
 
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The siblings called it "shocking" that Gosar is "trying to gaslight everyone" by saying Ashli Babbitt, a woman shot and killed by police on Jan. 6 while trying to climb through a door that led to the House chamber, was "somehow an innocent bystander." Gosar, they added, was lying about the election on the House floor that day, and those "lies helped delay the Capitol Police from clearing the chamber, and this delay led at least in part to the officer's decision to shoot Babbitt to protect you. And now you have the gall to blame those men and women who protected you for her death."
Gosar, they said, does not have "the intellect, character, or maturity" to be a congressman, and it's likely his "lifelong, insecure need for the approval of others caused you to sacrifice your common decency and integrity to satisfy Trump and his followers in order to keep your seat." If he doesn't resign or his colleagues don't step in to have him removed, Gosar's siblings concluded, he is "likely doomed to go down in history as a cautionary tale: a person who betrayed his family, his country, and even himself."
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
- 
 ‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’ ‘Businesses that lose money and are uncompetitive won’t survive’Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day 
- 
 Film reviews: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Frankenstein, and Blue Moon Film reviews: Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere, If I Had Legs I’d Kick You, Frankenstein, and Blue MoonFeature A rock star on the rise turns inward, a stressed mother begins to unravel, and more 
- 
 Podcast reviews: ‘Fela Kuti: Fear No Man,’ ‘David Bowie: Changeling’ and ‘The Adam Friedland Show’ Podcast reviews: ‘Fela Kuti: Fear No Man,’ ‘David Bowie: Changeling’ and ‘The Adam Friedland Show’feature Fela Kuti’s revolutionary life, David Bowie’s early years, and Adam Friedland reinvents the talk show 
- 
 Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariff Senate votes to kill Trump’s Brazil tariffSpeed Read Five Senate Republicans joined the Democrats in rebuking Trump’s import tax 
- 
 Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICE Border Patrol gets scrutiny in court, gains power in ICESpeed Read Half of the new ICE directors are reportedly from DHS’s more aggressive Customs and Border Protection branch 
- 
 Shutdown stalemate nears key pain points Shutdown stalemate nears key pain pointsSpeed Read A federal employee union called for the Democrats to to stand down four weeks into the government standoff 
- 
 Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan ad Trump vows new tariffs on Canada over Reagan adspeed read The ad that offended the president has Ronald Reagan explaining why import taxes hurt the economy 
- 
 NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footage NY attorney general asks public for ICE raid footageSpeed Read Rep. Dan Goldman claims ICE wrongly detained four US citizens in the Canal Street raid and held them for a whole day without charges 
- 
 Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East Wing Trump’s huge ballroom to replace razed East WingSpeed Read The White House’s east wing is being torn down amid ballroom construction 
- 
 Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 more Trump expands boat strikes to Pacific, killing 5 moreSpeed Read The US military destroyed two more alleged drug smuggling boats in international waters 
- 
 Trump demands millions from his administration Trump demands millions from his administrationSpeed Read The president has requested $230 million in compensation from the Justice Department for previous federal investigations 
