Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona.
Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona.
Mary Schwalm and Andrew Harnik/AP Photos
  • Rep. Paul Gosar faces censure by the House after he posted an anime video depicting him killing AOC.
  • Rep. Cheney said that House GOP leadership had "lost their moral compass" for their silence on the video.
  • Cheney called Gosar was an "avowed white nationalist" and said Kevin McCarthy had a "lack of strength."

Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming – the Republican vice chair of the January 6 committee and a prominent critic of former President Donald Trump within her party – said House GOP leadership had "lost their moral compass" for their silence on a video posted by Rep. Paul Gosar of Arizona on Twitter that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.

She also said Gosar – a 6-term member of the House GOP conference that she previously led for 2 years – was an "avowed white nationalist."

"It's a real symbol of his lack of strength, the lack of leadership in our conference right now, and the extent to which he and other leaders seem to have lost their moral compass," Cheney told the Associated Press, referring to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

She went on to highlight the fact that 13 Republican members are facing withering attacks, including threatening phone calls, from her party's base for voting for the infrastructure bill last week, actions largely spurred on by members like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.

"In a moment where you've got an avowed white nationalist in Rep. Gosar who has posted a video advocating the killing of another member, the idea that our leader will not stand against that but that he's somehow going after and allowing attacks against 13 members who are conducting themselves in a serious and substantive way is really outrageous," Cheney said.

On Sunday, Gosar posted an edited clip of a scene from the "Attack on Titan" anime entitled "Attack on Immigrants" that depicted a character with Gosar's face edited onto it killing a giant superimposed with Ocasio-Cortez's face. Twitter said the video violated the company's "hateful conduct" policy, but the company says they won't remove it.

Earlier this year, Gosar came under scrutiny for speaking at a white nationalist conference, skipping a vote on a COVID-19 relief bill to attend.

Cheney also told the Associated Press that Gosar should be censured "for his continued indefensible activities," signaling that she will vote with Democrats on a censure resolution against the Arizona Republican that will be introduced by Democrats on Friday.

Rep. Gosar on Tuesday issued a lengthy statement responding to the "gross mischaracterization of a short anime video produced by his office" in which he clarified that the video is "truly a symbolic portrayal of a fight over immigration policy."

And that same day, Rep. Gosar posted a meme making fun of his critics.

The offices of Reps. Paul Gosar and Kevin McCarthy did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.

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