Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is claiming the reaction to a violent video he posted depicting him killing Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is all due to a misunderstanding.
The far-right Republican posted a video Monday that altered the opening credits of the Japanese animated series “Attack on Titan” to show Gosar slashing the neck of a foe with Ocasio-Cortez’s face.
Not surprisingly, scores of critics condemned Gosar and called for action to be taken against him.
On Tuesday, Gosar posted another tweet, this time a lengthy screed in which he accused detractors of “gross mischaracterization” and claimed, without irony, “I do not espouse violence or harm towards any Member of Congress or Mr. Biden.”
Gosar then claimed the video was simply depicting “a battle between lawful and unlawful policies and in no way intended to be a targeted attack against Representative Cortez or Mr. Biden.”
He added: “It is a symbolic cartoon. It is not real life. Congressman Gosar cannot fly. The hero of the cartoon goes after the monster, the policy monster of open borders. This video is truly a symbolic portrayal of a fight over immigration policy.”
You can see the statement below.
Twitter users had thoughts.