Republican congressman Paul Gosar, of Arizona, has issued a bizarre response to critics who called him out for sharing an anime video showing him assassinating Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and swinging swords at President Joe Biden, by comparing himself to a victim of terrorism.
In his response, Gosar compared those who criticized him to the terrorists who opened fire on the French publication Charlie Hebdo in 2015, killing 12 people.
“While the degree of punishment differs, this is the same sentiment expressed against the Charlie Hebdo magazine in France in 2015 that was punished for publishing a cartoon — resulting in a real-life massacre of 12 real live people,” Arizona lawmaker wrote. “Indeed, the former deputy director of the CIA concluded that those who attacked Charlie Hebdo were ‘trying to shut down a media organization that lampooned the Prophet Muhammad.'”
“And now here, in the United States, six years later, the motive by some of my colleagues in Congress is the same: to shut down media that lampoons those who support the dangerous open border policies of the Biden administration,” Gosar added.
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To be clear, Gosar wasn’t criticized for his opposition to the border, nor is he an example of the “media.” He was called out for posting assassination cartoons with no context. Twitter found it threatening enough to pull it down from their site.
Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have condemned Gosar, calling for a criminal investigation against him, in some cases, expulsion from Congress.
Read Gosar’s statement below:
Paul Gosar compares the effort to punish him for the video he posted on Twitter to the terrorist attack on Charlie Hebdo in 2015 pic.twitter.com/34PLvmG9yU
— Ben Jacobs (@Bencjacobs) November 15, 2021
