FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, November 17
Contact: Logan Smith
[email protected]
202-709-8825

Bend the Arc: House vote to censure Gosar is not enough
Republican leadership shamefully complicit in refusing to stand up to the violent rhetoric in their caucus

WASHINGTON – Bend the Arc: Jewish Action released the following statement on Wednesday in response to the House of Representatives voting to censure Rep. Paul Gosar for posting a video depicting himself killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez:

“Rep. Gosar’s long history of stoking antisemitic conspiracy theories, defending white nationalist violence, and promoting racist, anti-Muslim rhetoric should have no place in the halls of Congress, and removing him from House committees is an appropriate step toward holding him accountable that should have happened long ago,” said Rabbi Jason Kimelman-Block, Washington Director of Bend the Arc: Jewish Action. “However, the broader problem here goes beyond Rep. Gosar . It’s the vast number of Republicans in the House who continue to incite violence and sabotage elections just like Gosar – and the shameful complicity of Republican leadership in refusing to stand up to violent rhetoric and dangerous conspiracies spread by their caucus.”

“For years, Bend the Arc: Jewish Action has been ringing the alarm bell about mainstream Republican politicians inciting violence, undermining democratic norms, and manufacturing bigotry and lies to divide Americans. Their actions put our communities in harm's way and damage our country. By working together we can make this a country of liberty and justice for all, but the first step is holding accountable the politicians who spread lies or incite violence to hold onto power at any cost.”

Gosar’s violent rhetoric is part of his long history of threatening violence on social media and embracing white nationalist groups. He helped organize Stop the Steal rallies in Arizona for months leading up to the January 6th Capitol attack, and openly collaborated with Nazis & white nationalists as he agitated for insurrection as an elected official. Gosar has a history of enabling and embracing white supremacist and white nationalist groups, including posing for photos with at least one member of the Proud Boys with multiple other hate groups nearby. He has even attacked Jewish organizations like Bend the Arc directly, invoking antisemitic conspiracy theories and other dog-whistles.

Bend the Arc: Jewish Action is uniting a movement of tens of thousands of progressive Jews across the country who are fighting for justice and equality for all. We are the only national Jewish organization focused exclusively on social change in the United States.

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