Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) on Wednesday posted, then deleted, a tweet stating he supported former President Trump's call to terminate parts of the U.S. Constitution over baseless claims of election fraud.
Why it matters: The tweet, which included a screenshot of Trump's original social media post calling for termination of parts of the Constitution, was posted on Gosar's official House Twitter account, not his personal account.
- Gosar won re-election to the House in November. As a representative, he was required to swear an oath to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic."
- Trump has received widespread condemnation for the post, including from several influential GOP lawmakers and figures.
What they're saying: "I support and agree with the former president," the tweet from Gosar's account read before it was later deleted.
- "Unprecedented fraud requires unprecedented cure," the tweet continued.
- Gosar's account had also liked supportive quote tweets of and replies to the now-deleted tweet.
A spokesperson for Gosar's office said Wednesday in a statement: "No one in Congress has fought for Constitutional values more than Congressman Gosar.
- "He is known as a strict constitutionalist for good reason. He has a decade of votes proving that."
- "President Trump has reissued his statement to clarify what he meant," the statement continued, referring to Trump on Monday attempting to backtrack on his comments.
- "Those who claim either Trump or Congressman Gosar don’t believe in the Constitution are acting in bad faith or are low IQ people unable to comprehend our language and our actions," the spokesperson added.
- Gosar's office did not explain why the tweet was deleted or why it included a screenshot of Trump's original post, which in part stated: "A Massive Fraud of this type and magnitude allows for the termination of all rules, regulations, and articles, even those found in the Constitution."
The big picture: The House censured and stripped Gosar of his committee assignments last year for posting a video on Twitter depicting him attacking President Biden and killing Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.).
- Earlier this year, Gosar and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) both appeared at a gathering of white nationalists hosted by Holocaust denier, antisemitic, homophobic and racist activist Nick Fuentes, who has also been labeled a "white supremacist" by the Department of Justice.
- Gosar later claimed his appearance was due to a staff error, though he did not apologize for the video.
State of play: House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who is vying to become House speaker in the incoming Congress, had previously said Gosar would get his committee assignments back if Republicans win control of the House in the midterms, which they narrowly did.
- McCarthy also suggested that Gosar and Greene, who also lost her committee assignments, may "have better committee assignments" in a Republican-controlled House.
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Editor's note: This story has been updated with a statement from Gosar's office, additional details and context.
