- Paul Gosar compared himself to Alexander Hamilton as his colleagues in the House moved to censure him.
- The House unsuccessfully attempted to censure Hamilton while he served as the country's first Treasury Secretary.
- Gosar refused to apologize for the edited anime video, which Democrats and other critics argue promoted violence.
Republican Rep. Paul Gosar compared himself to Alexander Hamilton as his colleagues in the House moved to censure him for sharing an animated video that was edited to show him killing Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and brandishing swords at President Joe Biden.
Gosar refused to apologize for the video and insisted that the gory imagery didn't pose a threat. However, Democrats and other critics argued that the clip promoted violence.
"No matter how much the left tries to quiet me, I will continue to speak out against amnesty for illegal aliens, defend the rule of law, and advance the America First agenda," Gosar said from the House floor on Wednesday afternoon. "If I must join Alexander Hamilton, the first person attempted to be censured by this House, so be it. It is done."
The House attempted unsuccessfully to censure Hamilton while he served as the US's first Treasury Secretary. Hamilton's alleged mishandling of congressionally-authorized loans prompted the censure effort at the end of the 18th century.
After Gosar spoke, Democratic Rep. David Cicilline rejected the comparison. "Mr. Gosar, you are no Alexander Hamilton. You must be held accountable," he said.
—CSPAN (@cspan) November 17, 2021
Last week, Gosar shared on Twitter an edited version of the opening credits of a Japanese animated series that showed the congressman slashing Ocasio-Cortez in the back of the neck, killing her, and waving swords at Biden. The tweet prompted swift condemnation from Democrats, some of whom called for Gosar's removal from Congress.
Twitter flagged Gosar's post for violating its policy on "hateful conduct," but didn't remove Gosar's video, saying "it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible." Gosar and his aides stood by the video and told critics to "relax."
On Wednesday, Democrats in the House moved to censure the Arizona Republican and strip him of his committee assignments as Republican leadership stood by their controversial member. Censuring a House member is rare and is the body's most serious form of punishment aside from expulsion. Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Wednesday called the censure vote an "abuse of power."
Ocasio-Cortez also condemned Republican leadership for refusing to hold Gosar accountable during a speech from the House floor on Wednesday.
"Our work here matters. Our example matters," she said. "And as leaders, in this country, when we incite violence with depictions against our colleagues that trickles down to violence in this country. That is where we must draw the line."