AOC says lawmakers have to fundraise for their own safety in wake of threatening Gosar video: ‘It’s ludicrous’

Right-wing Arizona congressman tweeted an anime cartoon showing him killing the New York progressive

Democratic Rep Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York said threatening images like the one Rep Paul Gosar of Arizona tweeted last week means members like her have to raise more money for security.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s words comes after Mr Gosar tweeted a video of the opening credits to the anime Attack on Titan that featured Mr Gosar killing a monster that had Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s head on it.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez criticised House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy’s unwillingness to properly admonish Mr Gosar. Mr McCarthy told CNN that he spoke with Mr Gosar who in turn “made a statement that he doesn't support violence, and he took the video down.”

But Ms Ocasio-Cortez condemned Mr McCarthy’s actions.

“Rep McCarthy is not skittish, he is encouraging of this behaviour,” she told The Independent. She also said he encouraged the behaviour when then-Rep Ted Yoho called her a “f***ing bitch” last year and when Rep Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia aggressively followed and shouted at her.

Ms Ocasio-Cortez also added that threats like these are why she has to spend her own campaign cash to pay for security.

“It’s not just about me,” she told The Independent. “This is that, if any member of Congress’s life is threatened, they have to fundraise for their own safety. I mean it’s ludicrous.”

In the most recent fundraising quarter, Ms Ocasio-Cortez’s campaign paid $1,674.50 to Area 1 Security Inc. for security services, $9,000 to C'est Bon Collective for security consultant fees, $424.61 to Three Bridges LLC in security fees, among other fees.

Democratic Rep Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who was elected the same year as Ms Ocasio-Cortez and has had to face additional death threats, called for Mr Gosar to be punished.

“He should be censured and expelled,” she said. “Glorifying violence against your colleagues should not be ok and it should certainly not be ok in Congress.”

Rep Don Bacon, a Republican from Nebraska, said Mr Gosar seemed contrite with Republicans.

“He came in and apologised,” Mr Bacon said. “I’ll give him credit for that.”