Quigley Statement on House Censure of Paul Gosar

Today, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) released a statement after the House of Representatives voted to censure Representative Paul Gosar (AZ-04) and remove him from the Committees on Natural Resources and Oversight and Reform. The vote came after Gosar shared a video on social media that depicted him killing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and preparing to strike President Joe Biden:

"No workplace in America would allow you to share a video where you are portrayed violently attacking and murdering your colleague. Congress should be no different. Not only were Mr. Gosar's actions despicable and wholly inappropriate as a coworker, but they were also completely unbecoming of a member of Congress.

"The consequences of extremist rhetoric are not theoretical. During my 12 years in office, I have seen Congresswoman Gabby Giffords survive an assassination attempt, Minority Whip Steve Scalise survive a shooting, both chambers of Congress come under assault, and recently, other members of Congress receive well-publicized death threats. It defies belief that Mr. Gosar, who was speaking on the floor of the House when insurrectionists attempted to disrupt the democratic transfer of power, would not have learned his lesson by now. We cannot allow the encouragement of violence by our leaders to go unchallenged.

"While all of this has transpired, I have been appalled by the priorities of my Republican colleagues: not only have they remained silent in response to Mr. Gosar's actions, but they have also used this time to seriously consider punishing members of their own party for their support of bipartisan infrastructure legislation. It is a sign of just how extreme Congressional Republicans have become that they would punish bipartisanship and ignore violence."