The House voted on Wednesday to censure Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) over an animated video he posted that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). All Democrats and two Republicans voted in favor of the censure, and Gosar was stripped of his two committee assignments, reports BuzzFeed News.
This marked "the first time a sitting House member has been censured in more than 10 years," reports CNN's Jim Acosta. The resolution stated that depictions of violence can lead to real harm being done to people. Gosar defended himself by saying "it was not my purpose to make anyone upset," and argued the cartoon was simply making a statement about immigration policy. "There is no threat in the cartoon other than the threat immigration poses to our country," he said on the House floor ahead of the vote. He also compared himself to Alexander Hamilton, who faced a failed censure vote as treasury secretary.
Ocasio-Cortez, meanwhile, said: "This is not about me ... This is not about Rep. Gosar, but this is about what we are willing to accept."
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.
Some of the Republicans who voted against the censure argued either that the video didn't cross the line, or that it set a bad precedent.
The last censure of a sitting House member was in 2010, when former Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.) was censured for failing to pay taxes. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) was stripped of her committee assignments earlier this year, but not censured. Gosar will no longer sit on the House's Natural Resources and Oversight and Reform committees. Read more at BuzzFeed News.
-
China and Taiwan's war of words ahead of anniversary paradeUnder The Radar Neighbours both claim to have led the fighting during World War Two
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardonFeature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in ChicagoFeature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billionsSpeed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revoltSpeed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich throwerSpeed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodusSpeed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official saysSpeed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judgesSpeed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policingSpeed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa CookSpeed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates
