Normally when an individual threatens someone's life or draws a cartoon about someone being killed, a judge will issue a victim protection order and police do investigations. But when a Republican member of Congress does it, things get complicated.
Such was the case when Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) posted an anime cartoon of himself assassinating colleague Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). The photo also depicts himself swinging swords at President Joe Biden. The photo was a violation of Twitter's terms of service and was removed, but not before many screen captures were taken.
Gosar's siblings have worked to tell voters as often as possible that their brother is mentally ill and that he doesn't belong in Congress. His colleagues are also calling on either censure or expulsion for Gosar. Expelling Gosar from Congress would take all Democratic members to vote for it and 70 Republicans. Thus far only one Republican has been willing to denounce what Gosar did.
Many also noted that this isn't the first time Gosar has casually talked about assassination. There's also the matter of his participation in the planning of the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, said Ali Alexander. He warrants investigation by the FBI as a danger to America, commentators tweeted.
You can see some of the ways leaders and officials are responding to the tweet below. Many have called on Republican House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) to act. It's unclear if there will be a vote to censure Gosar for the behavior.
