Rep. Paul Gosar Bizarrely Defends Anime Video Attacking Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is claiming the reaction to a violent video he posted depicting him killing Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is all due to a misunderstanding.
The far-right Republican posted a video Monday that altered the opening credits of the Japanese animated series “Attack on Titan” to show Gosar slashing the neck of a foe with Ocasio-Cortez’s face.
Not surprisingly, scores of critics condemned Gosar and called for action to be taken against him.
On Tuesday, Gosar posted another tweet, this time a lengthy screed in which he accused detractors of “gross mischaracterization” and claimed, without irony, “I do not espouse violence or harm towards any Member of Congress or Mr. Biden.”
Gosar then claimed the video was simply depicting “a battle between lawful and unlawful policies and in no way intended to be a targeted attack against Representative Cortez or Mr. Biden.”
He added: “It is a symbolic cartoon. It is not real life. Congressman Gosar cannot fly. The hero of the cartoon goes after the monster, the policy monster of open borders. This video is truly a symbolic portrayal of a fight over immigration policy.”
You can see the statement below.
Rep. Paul Gosar in a new statement is addressing the blowback from the anime video that caught the attention of top Democrats.
“I do not espouse violence or harm towards any Member of Congress or Mr. Biden," he writes. pic.twitter.com/CwfzHcKVC7— Olivia Beavers (@Olivia_Beavers) November 9, 2021
Twitter users had thoughts.
This is a staggering level of bullshit https://t.co/tyqoq1xcno
— Shannon in Ohio 4 (@ShannonFreshour) November 9, 2021
I would call this a terrible apology but it’s not an apology at all. Just an asshole remaining an asshole. https://t.co/taNetMGtfA
— Jon Seff (@jonseff) November 9, 2021
He didn't apologize. He got AOC's name wrong (it's Ocasio-Cortez, not Cortez). He refused to write "President Biden." He needs to be removed from Congress. https://t.co/9qe0d3kINi
— Shawna Roberts (@RobertsOhioD6) November 9, 2021
Talk is cheap when words are apparently worth ... nothing https://t.co/fBAVPLNV06
— Fiddler (@cFidd) November 9, 2021
This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.
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