The publication is reproduced in full below:
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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SOURCE: Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 201(1), Congressional Record Vol. 167, No. 201(2)
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