After sharing a video Monday showing an animated sequence in which he kills Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D.New York) and attacks President Joe Biden, there are increasing calls for Rep. Paul Gosar (R. Arizona) to be removed form Congress.
The video, which has since been flagged by Twitter, is an altered version of the theme song for the popular anime show “Attack on Titan.” At one point in the video, the faces of Representatives Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado), Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Georgia) and Gosar are superimposed on anime characters fighting together to defeat Ocasio-Cortez, whose face is overlaid onto a titan, a monstrous creature from the show that eats human beings.
In the video, Gosar is depicted slicing the back of Ocasio-Cortez’s neck, killing her. Shortly after, Gosar is seen moving in to attack Biden. He is holding two swords to a photo of the president that appears in the frame.
Videos of violence and other animated clips are interspersed between the clips. Asylum seekers at border crossing the Rio Grande, with — disturbingly — a blood splatter filter imposed over the footage. The words “drugs,” “crime,” “poverty,” “money,” “murder,” “gangs,” “violence” and “trafficking” flash across the screen, followed by videos glorifying Customs and Border Protection agents, almost as if to show the agents hunting down the asylum seekers.
Ocasio-Cortez, currently in Scotland for the COP26 summit on climate change, responded to the video via Twitter. “So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me,” she wrote. “And he’ll face no consequences because [House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California)] cheers him on with excuses.”
“This dude is just a collection of wet toothpicks anyway,” the New York lawmaker went on. “White supremacy is for extremely fragile people and sad men like him, whose self concept relies on the myth that he was born superior because deep down he knows he couldn’t open a pickle jar or read a whole book by himself.”
Gosar’s office dismissed criticisms of the video depicting an animated version of him murdering the popular Democratic lawmaker. “Everyone needs to relax,” a spokesperson for Gosar said.
Many lawmakers have condemned Gosar’s posting of this video, with some calling for his expulsion. “Every day these white supremacists push the limits further and further to see how far they can go without consequences. This puts lives in danger,” wrote Rep. Cori Bush (D-Missouri). “Enough with the violent bigotry. Expel this white supremacist clown.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D–Minnesota), also echoed the call. saying, “This man should not serve in Congress. Fantasizing about violently attacking your colleagues has no place in our political discourse and society.”
Ocasio Cortez in a tweet thread pointed out that this isn’t the first time she’s faced violent or vulgar threats from Republican colleagues. Last year, a reporter overheardTed Yoho, a Republican from Florida, accosted OcasioCortez on a stairwell for her comments suggesting that more instances of theft were being caused by unemployment and general financial instability. After a short exchange, Yoho called Ocasio-Cortez a “fucking bitch.”
Ocasio-Cortez also mentioned that she has been subject to repeated harassment by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. This was earlier in the year. Greene screamed at Ocasio-Cortez in an incident that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) categorized as “verbal assault.”
Ocasio Cortez previously described Fearing for her safetyDuring the extremist right-wing attack against the Capitol on January 6, The attackers’ organizers have statedGosar, Greene had part of the plans. The legislators have previously faced calls to resignFor their alleged participation in the attack and — in Greene’s case — her tendency to make violent threats.