Progressive Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York called out a Republican lawmaker who shared a violent video depicting him killing her on Monday night after she and 22 other lawmakers including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi arrived at the United Nations climate summit in Glasgow.
Ocasio-Cortez, called it 'creepy' and claimed that 'neo-Nazi fundraiser' Arizona Rep. Paul Gosar, 62, will 'face no consequences' because he was backed by the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy. She also called him 'a collection of wet toothpicks.'
The clip shows a sword-wielding character with Gosar's superimposed face using a jetpack to soar onto a rooftop before attacking the young Democrat.
He slashes the New York liberal across the back of the neck, drawing a spray of blood, and then goes on to lunge toward President Joe Biden.
Meanwhile the Democrat firebrand and her colleagues landed in Scotland, courtesy of a government jet, to tout their legislative accomplishments in passing part of Biden's agenda last week. They're attending the event as it shifts focus to how climate change affects women and gender equality.
Pelosi spoke just hours after the group's arrival.
She said they made up the largest collection of Congressional lawmakers to attend an international climate meeting.
'We come here fresh from advancing the most ambitious and consequential climate and clean energy legislation of all time in our country,' the California Democrat said as the room broke out in applause.
Late Friday night, Pelosi secured a compromise after months of gridlock that allowed a Senate-approved $1.2 trillion bipartisan infrastructure deal to pass the House, along with a motion to vote on a larger progressive-backed social and climate spending bill next week.
(From left to right) Nancy Pelosi sits alongside former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Scotland's first minister Nicola Sturgeon at the United Nations climate summit
Pelosi took to the stage on Tuesday to tout the House's advancement of Biden's infrastructure, social and climate agendas
She said it was the largest Congressional delegation to attend a global climate summit
All eyes are also on Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, whose unprecedented 2018 campaign focused heavily on climate issues (pictured arriving for the Gender Day event on November 9)
Pelosi said both bills that make up Biden's agenda acknowledge 'the interconnectedness of climate change and gender justice, and enables women and girls to lead a just transition to a clean energy economy of the future.'
'It also is an investment in our care economy - child care, family medical leave, its about home health care, universal pre-k - all the things that liberate women to play a more important role in our economy,' she said.
Ocasio-Cortez told the New York Times shortly after arriving in Glasgow that 'We're here to push.'
'It’s time for us to re-examine our first-world and global governments, to re-examine their priorities about what is possible, and really try to push them on the boundaries of that,' she said.
The firebrand lawmaker added that 'it would be a dream' to spend some time with those protesting outside the summit.
Asked if she had a message to those demonstrating around the world, she told the Associated Press it was: 'Stay in the streets. Keep pushing.'
Meanwhile Gosar is facing calls to resign after he posted the disturbing video of him killing Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter.
The clip, which had received more than 3 million views, has remained on Twitter despite the social media platform slapping it with a 'hateful content' warning on Monday.
AOC, 32, (pictured at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday) called it 'creepy' and claimed that Gosar, 62, will 'face no consequences' because he was backed by the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy.
Ocasio-Cortez responded to his video from Scotland, where she's attending a climate summit
Gosar's character then drops down from the air to cut open AOC's anime character
She's slashed with a sword before Gosar jets away and later lunges toward President Joe Biden
Gosar's violent tweet has since been deleted by Twitter for 'violating rules about hateful content'
Ocasio-Cortez tweeted: 'So while I was en route to Glasgow, a creepy member I work with who fundraises for Neo-Nazi groups shared a fantasy video of him killing me. And he'll face no consequences bc @GOPLeader cheers him on with excuses. Fun Monday! Well, back to work bc institutions don't protect woc [women of color].'
'This dude is a just a collection of wet toothpicks anyway,' she added.
'White supremacy is for extremely fragile people & sad men like him, whose self concept relies on the myth that he was born superior because deep down he knows he couldn't open a pickle jar or read a whole book by himself.'
A Gosar staffer stood by the video last night, dismissing claims it glorifies violence.
'Everyone needs to relax,' Gosar's digital director, Jessica Lycos, told The Washington Post.
'Gosar can't fly and he does not own any light sabers.'
Republican Rep. Paul Gosar posted a disturbing video on Twitter that showed him slashing the back of Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
Gosar, a close ally of QAnon lawmaker Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene, has faced previous criticism for spreading conspiracy theories about the January 6 riot on Capitol Hill and for a deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville in 2017.
Ocasio-Cortez also tweeted about Greene and other lawmakers Monday night.
'Remember when [Rep. Ted] Yoho accosted me on the the Capitol and called me a f—ing b—,' she said. 'Remember when Greene ran after me a few months ago screaming and reaching Remember when she stalked my office the 1st time w/ insurrectionists & ppl [sic] locked inside All at my job & nothing ever happens.'
Some Twitter users are calling for 'lunatic' Gosar to be removed from the platform – and booted from Congress.
'Under [no] circumstances should his fantasies of killing people be swept away,' tweeted @fred_guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed during a Parkland, Florida, school shooting.
'We know he is a lunatic. America, we better vote in 2022 for Democrats or he will be in leadership.'
Democratic strategist Kaivan Shroff tweeted: 'Republican @RepGosar has shared a photoshopped animated video that depicts him killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
'Absolutely disgraceful. He should be removed from committee assignments just as Marjorie Taylor Greene was.'
One Twitter user called Gosar's video 'absolutely disgraceful' and said he should be removed from committee assignments
Fred Guttenberg, whose daughter Jaime was killed during a Parkland, Florida, school shooting called Gosar a 'lunatic' and said he should be kicked out of Congress
User @DHStokyo said he doesn't want 'radicalized Republicans who get off on fantasies towards their colleagues' anywhere near his government
Another Twitter user called @DHStokyo said: 'I am here to say that I don't want radicalized Republicans who get off on fantasies of violence towards their colleagues, nor their party leaders who ignore it, anywhere near my government.'
It's no secret that Gosar, a staunch Donald Trump supporter, and Ocasio-Cortez with her socialist leanings don't see eye-to-eye.
The politicians from the opposite sides of the political spectrum disagree on just about everything, from vaccine mandates and immigration to universal health care and the Capitol riots.
Ocasio-Cortez – who frequently draws the ire of right-leaning pundits and politicians – has previously detailed safety concerns related to her high-profile job.
She revealed in a 2019 Time magazine interview that enough people have threatened to kill her that her staff has been trained to evaluate visitors to her Capitol Hill office — even people who just leave Post-It notes on the plaque in the hallway.
Earlier this year, she recalled hiding in her office's bathroom during the January 6 Capitol riots after hearing that someone was after her.
'I just hear these yells of 'Where is she? Where is she?' Ocasio-Cortez said. 'This was the moment where I thought everything was over. I thought I was going to die.'
The congresswoman then revealed it was a Capitol Police officer who was there to secure her office - but claimed that the cop 'was looking at me with a tremendous amount of anger and hostility.'
'I didn't know if he was there to help us or hurt us,' she said.
She ended up sheltering in place in her colleague Rep. Katie Porter's office.
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