U.S. Rep. Paul Gosar lost Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. But he gained former President Donald Trump.
The 45th president endorsed the Arizona Republican for re-election in 2022 a day after House Democrats, joined by GOP Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger voted to censure Gosar and strip him of his assignments on the House Oversight and Natural Resources committees.
In a statement posted to Twitter by his spokeswoman, Trump said, “Congressman Paul Gosar has been a loyal supporter of our America First agenda, and even more importantly, the USA.”
“Paul is a Congressman who is highly respected in Arizona, strong on Crime, Borders, our Military, and our Veterans. He continually fights for Lower Taxes, Less Regulations, and our great, but under siege, Second Amendment. Paul Gosar has my Complete and Total Endorsement!”
Democrats punished Gosar for posting an anime video on social media in which he, as a cartoonish character, allegedly violently attacked left-wing firebrand Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. His character also appeared to attack President Joe Biden with swords.
Gosar took down the video but has not apologized.
In response, AOC said, “This is not about Rep. Gosar. But this is about what we are willing to accept.”
Yet Ocasio-Cortez has refused to condemn any of the many depictions of violence against Trump or other Republicans, such as an alleged assassin from Portland who stalked GOP Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida.
In his own defense, Gosar said, “I do not espouse violence towards anyone. I never have. It was not my purpose to make anyone upset. I voluntarily took the cartoon down, not because it was itself a threat but because some thought it was. Out of compassion for those who genuinely felt offense, I self-censored.”
Check out Tampafp.com for Politics, Tampa Local News, Sports, and National Headlines. Support journalism by clicking here to our GoFundMe or sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here. Android Users, Click Here To Download The Free Press App And Never Miss A Story. It’s Free And Coming To Apple Users Soon.