Representative Paul Gosar’s tweet of an anime video in which the Arizona Republican is shown killing fellow member Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and swinging swords at President Joe Biden has triggered waves of outrage in Washington and calls from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi to investigate the legislator’s conduct.

In a statement Tuesday, Pelosi, a California Democrat, condemned Gosar, saying, “Threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President of the United States must not be tolerated.”

Pelosi also called on Kevin McCarthy, the GOP leader in the House of Representatives, to condemn the “horrific video” publicly and call on the House Ethics Committee, as well as law enforcement, to investigate.

A spokeswoman for McCarthy did not immediately return a request for comment.

Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021 · 6:47:19 PM +00:00 · Brandi Buchman

Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Massachusetts Democrat, also called for action to be taken against Gosar on Tuesday. 

“Heinous attacks like these leveled at my sister, @AOC, perpetuate and normalize violence against women—a reality far too common for [women of color,]” Pressley wrote. “Speaker Pelosi, this white supremacist must be expelled immediately.”

Gosar has been in this hot seat before. He has consistently used his pulpit as an elected official to spread bunk theories about the 2020 election as well as conspiracies about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.

In February, Gosar attended—as a keynote speaker—a right wing fundraiser where Nick Fuentes, identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a white nationalist, also spoke. Fuentes, at the event, lamented the loss of America’s “white demographic core.” Gosar later distanced himself from the comments when appearing at the Conservative Political Action Conference. Gosar called Fuentes’ remarks “inappropriate.”

Several lawmakers representing the House Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, also called for an ethics investigation into Gosar.

In a statement Tuesday from committee members Debbie Dingell of Michigan, Joe Neguse of Colorado, Ted Lieu of California and Matt Cartwright of Pennsylvania, the legislators said: “In any other job in America if a coworker made a video killing another coworker, that person would be fired.” 

”Mr. McCarthy needs to decide whether he will finally stand with the American people on the side of law and order or he will continue to support violence and chaos,” the Democrats said. 

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Gosar, on the other hand, appeared nonchalant on the matter.

“I will always fight for the rule of law, securing our borders and defending the America First agenda,” Gosar told Reuters. Gosar did not immediately respond to the request for comment by Daily Kos.

In a tweet Tuesday morning, the lawmaker appeared to respond to the criticism, suggesting his video was intended as a joke.

The violent animation shared by Gosar has triggered waves of outrage from several Democrats including Rep. David Cicilline of Rhode Island and Rep. Judy Chu of California.

“This is absolutely sick and certainly meets the threshold for his accounts to be suspended,” Cicilline said in reaction to Gosar’s post.

Cicilline introduced a resolution in the House this May calling for censuring members who would not refer to Jan. 6 as an insurrection and singled out Gosar in particular.

Rep. Judy Chu, a California Democrat, in a statement on Twitter put a finer point on the situation Tuesday.

“I won’t share his disgusting video, but since being in Congress, I have seen two colleagues—Gabby Giffords and Steve Scalise—shot. And I have seen a racist mob come for us all with nooses and knives. Paul Gosar should be ashamed, but lacking that, @GOPLeader [McCarthy] must speak out,” Chu wrote.

It is unlikely that a bid for censure would garner the votes necessary to pass the House given McCarthy’s stranglehold over members of the GOP but the pressure is mounting nonetheless. 

Jennifer Gosar, the Arizona Republican’s sister, appeared on MSNBC to decry her brother’s behavior and demanded Pelosi, McCarthy, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, or even Attorney General Merrick Garland to do something more to address the lawmaker’s conduct.

“Where are these people? Does he need to act on his sociopathic fantasy for Representative [Alexandria] Ocasio-Cortez? I’m very concerned,” she said.

Ocasio-Cortez lamented Gosar’s behavior late Monday, calling the Republican a “creepy member… who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups.”

“And he’ll face no consequences because @GOPLeader cheers him on with excuses,” the New York Democrat tweeted Monday. “Fun Monday! Well, back to work because institutions don’t protect woc [women of color].”

Last July, Ocasio-Cortez was accosted by Rep. Ted Yoho of Florida, calling her a “fucking bitch” and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican, also verbally attacked the New York Democrat.  

“Remember when she stalked my office the first time with insurrectionists and people locked inside. All at my job and nothing ever happens,” Ocasio-Cortez tweeted.

She continued and said of Gosar: “This dude is just a collection of wet toothpicks anyway. 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.”