Today, for the first time in a decade and for only the 24th time in United States history, a bipartisan majority of the U.S. House of Representatives voted to censure Representative Paul Gosar, who recently posted an animated video in which he is depicted killing a fellow House Representative and menacing President Biden. The House also voted to remove Rep. Gosar from two of its committees.
In response to the House’s vote, Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), issued the following statement:
“We strongly support the House’s decision to hold Representative Gosar accountable for his categorically dangerous and reprehensible behavior. As Speaker Nancy Pelosi and others made clear in their remarks before the vote, Rep. Gosar’s promotion of such violent and hateful content was more than a breach of decorum or basic decency. It was an act intended to intimidate, demean, and silence a fellow Member — who, not incidentally, is also a woman of color. Especially at a time when dehumanizing political rhetoric and threats of violence are on the rise across the country, and when we are still processing the aftermath of an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, we commend members’ efforts to eliminate hostile and toxic conduct in Congress, which is often aimed at women and people of color. We commend both those House Members who put basic standards of civility, humanity, and decency ahead of partisanship, and those who were brave enough to lead the charge to hold Representative Gosar accountable.”
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization. LDF has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF. Follow LDF on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
