Republican lawmaker Paul Gosar censured for anime video depicting him killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
- Trump ally Paul Gosar had tweeted an altered animation that depicted him striking Democrat congresswoman with a sword
- The censure, a formal rebuke, is the first such action against a House member in more than a decade
Far right congressman Paul Gosar was forced to endure a public shaming on Wednesday as he was called to present himself in the “well” of the lower chamber for the “pronouncement of the censure”.
The Arizona Republican was made to listen in silence as Democrats spent more than an hour rebuking him for what they called workplace harassment and encouraging violence against women.
“We cannot have members joking about murdering each other or threatening the president of the United States,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said before the censure.
“This is both an endangerment of our elected officials and an insult to the institution of the House of Representatives.”
A censure resolution is the most severe form of punishment in the House and just a handful of members have faced the sanction over the last century – most recently 11 years ago.