On an episode of The View this week, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) said that Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) shouldn’t be in Congress after he posted an edited, partly animated video that depicted him killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). Gosar can claim that the video was merely a “joke” all he wants, but how far would he be willing to go in service of these demented, so-called jokes? What about those among his followers who might be interested in turning his supposed jokes into reality, taking the Congressman’s remarks as a green light to do so?
Directly asked by co-host Joy Behar whether Gosar “should be removed from Congress,” Schiff replied as follows:
‘First of all, he has no business being in Congress. He should have never been elected; he doesn’t belong there. Sadly the Republican conference is now characterized by numerous kooks and dangerous cranks, of which he is one… They are repeatedly glorifying violence. And it’s not as if this is without the backdrop of the violence of January 6. When they go out and they spread this big lie about the election… they’re basically saying, if we can’t rely on elections to decide who governs, then what’s left but violence? And that’s just dangerous.’
Check out Schiff’s remarks below:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) was also among those to have spoken out against Gosar. Specifically, she called for investigations into the matter by law enforcement and the House Ethics Committee, and she also called for House Minority Leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) to support such calls for a probe — although there was no particularly compelling indication that he’d do so. Although he’d no doubt have to make some remark on the issue eventually, McCarthy hadn’t even commented at all as of early Tuesday, as though he was interested in or at least accepting of letting the whole incident slide.
Threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President of the United States must not be tolerated. @GOPLeader should join in condemning this horrific video and call on the Ethics Committee and law enforcement to investigate. https://t.co/qX8kMbiZ8n
— Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) November 9, 2021
Ocasio-Cortez herself publicly shredded Gosar after the video emerged. She said, in part, that “White supremacy is for extremely fragile people & 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.” Still, these are the kinds of lasting threats that extend beyond the context of the Capitol riot. Overall, Republicans are fostering a culture in which violence and threats of violence are treated as perfectly acceptable.
Remember when Yoho accosted me on the the Capitol and called me a f—ing b—
Remember when Greene ran after me a few months ago screaming and reaching
Remember when she stalked my office the 1st time w/ insurrectionists & ppl locked inside
All at my job 🙃 & nothing ever happens
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 9, 2021
This dude is a just a collection of wet toothpicks anyway.
White supremacy is for extremely fragile people &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
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) November 9, 2021
