A censure resolution is the most severe form of punishment in the House (File)
Washington:
US lawmakers will vote Wednesday to censure a Trump loyalist for posting an animated video depicting him killing a colleague and attacking President Joe Biden, in a rare move underlining the enmity between opposing sides of Congress.
Far right congressman Paul Gosar will be on the end of a public shaming if the punishment goes ahead — called to present himself in the “well” of the House of Representatives for the “pronouncement of the censure.”
The Arizona Republican would be made to stand and listen in silence as the speaker reads a text spelling out that “depictions of violence can foment actual violence and jeopardize the safety of elected officials, as witnessed in this chamber on January 6, 2021.”
A censure resolution is the most severe form of punishment in the House and just a handful of members have faced the sanction over the last century — most recently 11 years ago.
Gosar would also join fellow Trumpist agitator Marjorie Taylor Greene as the second House Republican to lose their position on House committees this year.
An outspoken Donald Trump ally who echoes the former president’s false claims that the 2020 election was stolen, Gosar has been condemned for his associations with white nationalists and his praise for the rioters who forcibly entered the US Capitol on January 6.
He is in the firing line anew after tweeting out a video in the Japanese anime style showing him killing New York Democratic congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking Biden with a sword.
“At some point, you have to say, ‘enough is enough,'” House Rules Committee chairman Jim McGovern said Tuesday.
Gosar removed the video — which received millions of views — after a backlash but has not expressed any regret in public or apologized to his targets.
The vote is expected to be a formality as the sanction requires a simple majority, and the Democrats have three to spare, plus support from at least two Republicans.
Opposition lawmakers have complained that there should have been an ethics investigation before any punishment was meted out, but they have shown little interest in holding Gosar to account.
Some Republicans are making it clear behind the scenes that they intend to retaliate if they win the majority in 2022.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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