GOP Rep. Gosar faces backlash for posting anime-style video violently attacking AOC

Arizona GOP Rep. Paul Gosar is facing backlash after tweeting an anime-style video showing him striking New York Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez with a sword.

Tweeting in response Monday night, Ocasio-Cortez said "a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me."

Gosar will "face no consequences," she wrote, because House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy "cheers him on with excuses." 

Gosar posted the video on Sunday afternoon writing, "Any anime fans out there?"

Gosar is a President Trump supporter and firebrand within the House Republican Conference. Ocasio-Cortez is a leader of "The Squad," a group of six of the most progressive members of the House. 

The 90-second video is an altered version of a Japanese anime series, intercut with shots of border patrol officers and illegal immigrants at the U.S. southern border.

During one section of the video, animated characters whose faces have been replaced with Gosar and other Republican members of Congress are seen battling characters whose faces have been replaced with Democratic politicians.

In one moment, Gosar's character is seen striking a character, whose face has been replaced with Ocasio-Cortez's, with a sword. In a different part of the video, a character is seen striking a large picture of President Biden's head with a sword.

The House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot asked social media companies to preserve Gosar's communications on the day of the Capitol breach, believing he may have been part of an effort to "challenge, delay or interfere" with the certification of the 2020 election. 

The Gosar-posted video "violated the Twitter Rules about hateful conduct," the social media platform said in a warning attached to the offending post. "However, Twitter has determined that it may be in the public's interest for the Tweet to remain accessible."