The House on Wednesday will vote on a resolution to censure GOP Rep. Paul Gosar, after the Arizona congressman shared an animated video photoshopped to show him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) and President Joe Biden.
He would be just the 24th House member in history to be censured, the Hill reported.
The resolution would force Gosar to stand in the well of the House in front of his peers while the resolution is read aloud.
The last member to be so censured was longtime New York Rep. Charles Rangel, who was stripped of his powerful Ways and Means Committee after a long fight that culminated in the censure, over misuse of congressional letterhead for fundraising and filing inaccurate financial reports and tax returns.
Gosar defended sharing a photoshopped anime video online last week that showed him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez when he addressed fellow Republicans behind closed doors on Tuesday, reportedly saying he had not seen the violence before it was posted and that he was trying to reach a younger audience.
The censure resolution notes that defense as one of its clauses, which highlight violence against women.
'Whereas, on November 7, 2021, Representative Paul Gosar posted a manipulated video on his social media accounts depicting himself killing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Joseph Biden,' it begins.
It states that 'depictions of violence can foment actual violence and jeopardize the safety of elected officials,' and references the Jan. 6th riot.
'Whereas violence against women in politics is a global phenomenon meant to silence women and discourage them from seeking positions of authority and participating in public life, with women of color disproportionately impacted,' the resolution states.
Democrats can pass it on a simple majority. One Republican, Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), has said Gosar should be censured 'for his continued indefensible activities.' She sits on the House Select Committee on Jan. 6th.
'That is an insult, not only endangerment of that member of Congress, but an insult to the institution of the House of Representatives,' said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Tuesday. 'We cannot have members joking about murdering each other, as well as threatening the President of the United States,' she said.
Events at Tuesday night's Rules Committee hearing foreshadowed a tense debate.
'What do you stand for? Do you stand for violence against women, or do you stand against it?' asked Rep. Norma Torres (D-Calif.).
'It’s almost as if we’ve elevated this and made it more of a problem than it ever was,’ said Rep. Michael Burgess (R-Tex.). Republicans also complained that the matter didn't go before the bipartisan House Ethics Committee.
The House could also consider a resolution to strip him of his membership on the influential House Government Oversight and Reform Committee, where he holds a seat and where Ocasio-Cortez also sits, although it was not included in a resolution being debated at Rules Tuesday.
The resolution is authored by Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), who survived the Jonestown massacre and came forward in 2017 to describe being sexually assaulted as a young congressional staffer.
The altered anime video shows a jetpack equipped Gosar attacking AOC with a sword
Gosar reportedly told fellow Republicans at a Tuesday meeting that he had not seen the violence before the video was posted and that he simply wanted to reach a younger audience
The video shows Gosar attacking Rep. Ocasio-Cortez with a sword
