House Democrats Want to Censure Paul Gosar, What Does That Mean?

House Democrats are pushing to censure Representative Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican, after he posted an anime video to Twitter this week depicting himself killing Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat.

If Democrats succeeded, Gosar would be the first lawmaker to be censured in more than a decade.

According to the Congressional Research Service, a censure in the House of Representatives is a formal vote by the majority of legislators present on a resolution "disapproving a Member's conduct, generally with the additional requirement that the Member stand at the 'well' of the House chamber to receive a verbal rebuke and reading of the censure resolution by the Speaker of the House."

A censure is not the House of Representative's most severe sanction— expulsion from the chamber— but is considered a more serious punishment than a reprimand, "a lesser level of disapproval of the conduct of a Member" that also requires a formal House vote.

The punishment would largely serve as a public condemnation of Gosar's actions.

It would be unclear, at first, if the move would have any long-term consequences for Gosar's legislative career or odds in future reelection bids.

According to the Congressional Research Service, 23 members of the House have been sanctioned in U.S. history.

"While the majority of the censures in the House occurred in the 19th century and concerned issues of decorum, that is, the use of unparliamentary or insulting language on the floor of the House or acts of violence toward other Members, in more recent years instances of financial misconduct appear to have been a major issue," the service wrote.

The last member to be censured was Representative Charles B. Rangel, a New York Democrat, in 2010 over improper solicitation of funds. Rangel retired in 2016.

On Friday morning, Representative Jackie Speier, a California Democrat, said she had introduced a resolution with 60 House members to censure Gosar.

"We cannot continue to normalize violence against POTUS and members of the House. We must defend the integrity of this institution," Speier wrote on Twitter.

In addition, 31 legislators wrote a letter to House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy this week urging him to publicly request an investigation by the House Ethics Committee into Gosar's actions to determine whether his actions warrant disciplinary action including legislator removal from his Committee positions, censure or expulsion.

"Sharing the glorification of violence expressed in this video goes far beyond the
protections afforded by the Speech and Debate Clause in the Constitution and is beneath the dignity of a person serving in the Congress of the United States," the lawmakers wrote.

"Mr. Gosar's actions display a breakdown of reasoned discourse not seen in the House since the summer of 1856, when South Carolina Congressman Preston Brooks attacked Massachusetts Senator Charles Sumner with a cane on the Senate floor," they added.

Newsweek reached out to Gosar's office for comment.