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Rep. Ashley Hinson condemns Rep. Paul Gosar video, but votes ‘no’ on censuring him
James Q. Lynch
Nov. 18, 2021 10:33 am, Updated: Nov. 18, 2021 3:18 pm
U.S. Rep. Ashley Hinson finds “no excuse or justification” for the behavior of a colleague who posted an animated video portraying him killing another member of Congress, but she voted not to censure him because of the political double-standard she believes House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has set.
“I think it is absolutely wrong to depict violence against another member of Congress,” she said Thursday. “There's no excuse or justification for that behavior, and I won't defend that behavior.”
However, Hinson did not join two Republican colleagues Wednesday in voting to censure Arizona Republican Rep. Paul Gosar for the animé video that depicted him killing New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword.
In a statement after the vote and again in her weekly news conference with Iowa reporters Thursday, Hinson “strongly condemned” Gosar, who also was stripped of his committee assignments by Pelosi.
“Any form of violent rhetoric is unacceptable and as elected officials with large platforms, we have to set the example we want the rest of the country to follow,” Hinson said. “It has been incredibly disheartening to watch members of both parties fail at this, and the temperature in our political discourse continues to rise.”
Iowa Republican Reps. Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra also opposed censure while Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne voted to discipline Gosar.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee blasted the Republicans for “taking marching orders from their Washington party bosses” by voting not to hold Gosar, who it called a white nationalist sympathizer, accountable.
If it were up to Hinson and Miller-Meeks, the DCCC said, Gosar “would have been let off the hook for threatening to kill a colleague.” Their “cowardly vote underscores who really runs the House Republican Conference — unhinged extremists like Gosar and (Rep. Marjorie Taylor) Greene who face nothing but shrugs from Republican leadership in response to their violent rhetoric.”
It’s Democrats who face “nothing but shrugs” in the Democratic-controlled House, Hinson said, referring to California Rep. Maxine Waters’ calls for demonstrators to “get more confrontational” if the policeman charged with George Floyd’s death was found not guilty. Water also called on her supporters to harass Trump administration officials over the former president’s immigration policies.
Democrats blocked an attempt by Republicans, including Hinson, to censure Waters.
“Accountability for wrongdoing shouldn't be determined by your party,” Hinson said. “But that is the unequal standard Speaker Pelosi has decided to set.”
“We have to respectfully communicate our differences on policy issues and all commit to lowering the temperature in our nation’s political discourse,” she said.
Comments: (319) 398-8375; james.lynch@thegazette.com