Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) was, unfortunately, one of just two Republicans alongside Rep. Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.) to vote on Wednesday in favor of censuring Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) because of a violent video that he posted targeting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.). The edited, partly animated video depicted Gosar killing Ocasio-Cortez and swinging swords at President Joe Biden, and he has been unapologetic in response to criticism. Cheney, though, is clear-eyed about the threat posed by Gosar’s antics, calling his actions “completely unacceptable.”
As she put it to reporters:
‘This is not an issue about party… The glorification of the suggestion of the killing of a colleague is completely unacceptable. And I think that it’s a clear violation of House rules. I think it’s a sad day.’
Rep. Liz Cheney on her censure vote: "This is not an issue about party."
"The glorification of the suggestion of the killing of a colleague is completely unacceptable. And I think that it's a clear violation of House rules."
— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 18, 2021
Gosar, for his part, has remained resolute, no matter the fact that a selection of his fellow Republicans including House GOP leader Rep. Kevin McCarthy (Calif.) have acted as though he apologized. In fact, Gosar self-confidently insisted on the House floor this Wednesday ahead of the vote to censure him that the video “directly contributes to the understanding and the discussion of the real-life battle resulting from this administration’s open border policies” — which is ridiculous. For starters, the Biden administration does not have so-called “open border” policies according to any remotely reasonable definition of the term. More broadly, Gosar’s comments have got to be some of the most self-righteous defenses imaginable after posting a video depicting murdering one of his own colleagues in Congress.
Multiple prominent figures, such as Paul’s brother, Tim Gosar, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.), and Ocasio-Cortez herself, have raised the prospect of expelling the Arizona Congressman from the House, but unfortunately, doing so would require the agreement of at least two-thirds of the chamber — and generally speaking, Republicans in the House aren’t exactly known for their commitment to principles of integrity. Paul has also been removed from his committee roles in the House, which is the same punishment that was meted out against Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after past social media activity from her resurfaced indicating previous support on her part for executing prominent Democrats.
