ARIZONA CONGRESSMAN PAUL GOSAR IS FACING CRITICISM AFTER HE TWEETED A VIDEO THAT INCLUDED ALTERED ANIMATION SHOWING HIM STRIKING CONGRESSWOMAN ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ WITH A SWORD. — PHOENIX (AP) — Arizona congressman Paul Gosar is facing criticism after he tweeted a video that included an altered animation showing him striking congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword.
In a tweet Monday night, Ocasio-Cortez said Gosar “shared a fantasy video of him killing me.”
She added that Gosar would face no consequences because Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy “cheers him on with excuses.”
Ocasio-Cortez ended her response with, “Well, back to work (because) institutions don’t protect (women of color).”
Gosar posted the video Sunday afternoon with a note saying: “Any anime fans out there?”
The roughly 90-second video is an altered version of a Japanese anime series, interspersed with shots of border patrol officers and migrants at the southern U.S. border.
In one scene, Gosar’s character is seen striking one made to look like Ocasio-Cortez in the neck.
The video also depicts Gosar’s character swinging two swords at President Joe Biden’s head.
Along with Gosar, the video also appears to portray Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert fighting.
The clip remains up on Twitter, but the social media platform has added a notice to the top of the tweet.
“The Tweet violated the Twitter Rules about hateful conduct. However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public’s interest for the Tweet to remain accessible,” the notice says.
In a statement sent to The Washington Post, Gosar’s digital director dismissed the criticism, saying, “Everyone needs to relax,” and claimed the left doesn’t understand meme culture because, “They have no joy.”
