[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 201 (Thursday, November 18, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1254]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




      SUPPORTING H. RES. 789, CENSURING REP. PAUL GOSAR OF ARIZONA

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                          HON. BETTY McCOLLUM

                              of minnesota

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, November 18, 2021

  Ms. McCOLLUM. Madam Speaker, yesterday the House acted to discipline 
a Member for conduct that was unacceptable and in violation of all 
standards of decency and civility--conduct that brought disrepute to 
this institution. I joined 223 of my colleagues--Democrats and 
Republicans--in passing H. Res. 789 to officially censure Mr. Paul 
Gosar of Arizona and remove him from his assigned committees.
  Mr. Gosar recently posted on social media an animated video depicting 
him graphically killing a female Member of Congress--Rep. Alexandria 
Ocasio-Cortez of New York--and violently attacking President Biden: 
Millions of people have seen this disturbing and violent video. 
Incredibly, Mr. Gosar and 207 House Republicans excused this despicable 
act as ``free speech'' and ``symbolic.'' Producing and disseminating a 
video depicting the murder of a workplace colleague, of an elected 
federal official, and a fellow American is not symbolic--it is a threat 
that is intended to intimidate and inspire violence.
  Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is a valued colleague who deserves to 
be treated with respect by all Members of Congress, even when political 
disagreements are significant. Mr. Gosar's use of official resources--
paid for by American taxpayers--to depict the killing of a fellow 
Member of Congress is abhorrent, and it is conduct that was 
appropriately condemned by the House of Representatives.
  This is not a complicated matter. If Mr. Gosar had shared such a 
video targeting a colleague in any other workplace in America, he would 
have been immediately terminated. While Democrats and two Republicans 
condemned his actions, the Republican leader and more than 200 
Republican members condoned his actions, defended his conduct, and made 
light of a death threat against a Member of Congress.
  Have Republican Members of Congress become so craven that they do not 
know right from wrong? Do my Republican colleagues not understand the 
signal this imagery sends to the American people, especially women and 
youth, that promoting violence--a male Member of Congress brutally 
murdering a woman, a female Member of Congress--is acceptable political 
speech? This video is not political or free speech, it is violent 
misogyny. The fact that it has been publicly defended by 207 Republican 
Members of Congress now makes such behavior part and parcel of the 
Republican playbook for how they intend to conduct themselves in the 
future.
  As we all know, on January 6, 2021, a mob of thousands of 
insurrectionists attacked the U.S. Capitol to prevent Congress from 
affirming the election of Joe Biden as President of the United States. 
Mr. Gosar did not refrain from embracing these insurrectionists and the 
violence that threated the lives of Members of Congress, U.S. Capitol 
Police, and our congressional staff and workforce. Now Mr. Gosar is 
again embracing violence to send a political message and achieve his 
political goals. It is reprehensible, and this behavior is destroying 
our democracy. I take Mr. Gosar's threat seriously because this conduct 
intentionally sends a signal to people who are more than willing to use 
violence to achieve political outcomes--as I experienced personally on 
January 6th.
  Mr. Gosar's behavior demanded censure by the U.S. House. Furthermore, 
I strongly encourage federal law enforcement officials to investigate 
this matter further to determine if his actions reach a standard of 
criminal conduct that merit prosecution.
  Every day I work as a Member of Congress in the U.S. House is an 
honor. Civility is not an option; it is a duty that is necessary if we 
are to govern and achieve our collective goals as Americans. 
Republicans and Democrats can disagree--strongly disagree--but we must 
always remember that we are all Americans, and the American people 
deserve our service and actions to be conducted with dignity and 
respect.

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