Republican must be investigated over edited anime clip of him killing AOC, says Pelosi

A Republican congressman is facing calls for an investigation after sharing an edited anime video that showed him killing Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Paul Gosar, who represents Arizona and is a staunch ally of former president Donald Trump, posted the clip on his Twitter page over the weekend.

Several of his Republican colleagues and senior Democrats, including Joe Biden, are superimposed into the footage, which he posted alongside the caption: “Any anime fans out there?”

Mr Gosar’s character is seen swinging a sword at Mr Biden, and striking the neck of another figure made to look like Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the left-leaning Democrat from New York.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez, who is currently attending COP26, tweeted: “So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me.

“And he’ll face no consequences bc @GOPLeader [Kevin McCarthy] cheers him on with excuses. Fun Monday! Well, back to work bc institutions don’t protect woc [women of colour].”

The clip has been condemned by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who is also at COP26, leading the US delegation, of which Ms Ocasio-Cortez is part.

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In a statement from Glasgow, Ms Pelosi said: “Threats of violence against Members of Congress and the President of the United States must not be tolerated.”

She added that House Republican leader Mr McCarthy “should join in condemning this horrific video and call on the
Ethics Committee and law enforcement to investigate”.

So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me

And he’ll face no consequences bc @GOPLeader cheers him on with excuses.

Fun Monday! Well, back to work bc institutions don’t protect woc https://t.co/XRnMAKsnNO

His office has not responded to requests for comment, while a staff official from the ethics committee declined to.

Were Mr Gosar found guilty of an ethics violation, he could be reprimanded, fined, censured, or removed from office.

Twitter has not removed his tweet, but flagged it with a warning saying it violated its “hateful conduct” policy.

Previously, the far-right Mr Gosar has voted against certifying Mr Biden’s 2020 election victory, backed Mr Trump’s false and unsubstantiated claims that the vote was rigged, and described those who stormed the Capitol on 6 January as “peaceful patriots”.

His own siblings voted against him in the 2018 midterms, calling him a “racist”.

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The 90-second anime clip also featured shots of Border Patrol officers and migrants at the southern US border.

Democrat Ted Lieu of California responded directly to the video, calling it “sick behaviour”.

He added in a tweet: “In any workplace in America, if a co-worker made an anime video killing another co-worker, that person would be fired.”

It’s not the first time that Ms Ocasio-Cortez, the youngest woman to be elected to the US House of Representatives, has been on the receiving end of abuse from Republicans.

Last year, she delivered a powerful speech in response to a congressman who allegedly verbally abused her.

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