URL | https://Persagen.com/docs/paul_gosar.html | |
Sources | Persagen.com | Wikipedia | other sources (cited in situ) | |
Source URL | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Gosar | |
Date published | 2021-11-17 | |
Curation date | 2021-11-17 | |
Curator | Dr. Victoria A. Stuart, Ph.D. | |
Modified | ||
Editorial practice | Refer here | Date format: yyyy-mm-dd | |
Summary | Paul Anthony Gosar is an American politician and former dentist who has served as the U.S. Representatives for Arizona's 4th congressional district since 2013. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the neighboring 1st congressional district until redistricting. Gosar has stirred controversy for his support of conspiracy theories and alleged ties to the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers. Gosar opposes the Affordable Care Act, abortion, gun control, and immigration. He has been a strong ally of former president Donald Trump, and voted to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election that Trump had lost. | |
Key points | Conspiracy theorist | Extremist | Racist | Trumpist | Insurrectionary anarchist | |
Comment |
In 2018, six of |
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Keywords | Show | |
Named entities | Show | |
Ontologies | Show |
Paul Anthony Gosar
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona |
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Professional / Career Details | |
Name | Paul Anthony Gosar |
Current position | Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arizona (incumbent; assumed office 2011-01-03) |
Profession |
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Known for |
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Controversies |
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Associations | |
Website | Gosar.House.gov/ |
Personal Details | |
Name | Paul Anthony Gosar |
Born | 1958-11-27 |
Birthplace | Rock Springs, Wyoming, U.S.A. |
Spouse | Maude Gosar (née Connor; m. 1988) |
Marital status | Married |
Partner | |
Children | 3 children |
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Siblings |
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Nationality | American |
Residence | Arizona |
Education |
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Religion | Practicing Roman Catholic |
Political party | Republican Party |
Political position | |
Ideology | |
Shared ideologies | Trumpism |
Paul Anthony Gosar (born November 27, 1958) is an American politician and former dentist who has served as the U.S. representative for Arizona's 4th congressional district since 2013. A Republican, he was elected in 2010 to represent the neighboring 1st congressional district until redistricting. Gosar has stirred controversy for his support of conspiracy theories and alleged ties to the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers.
Gosar opposes the Affordable Care Act, abortion, gun control, and immigration. He has been a strong ally of former president Donald Trump, and voted to overturn the results of the 2020 U.S. presidential election that Trump had lost. Gosar later attended the America First Political Action Conference - its organizer, white nationalist Nick Fuentes, spoke approvingly of the 2021 United States Capitol attack - but Gosar distanced himself from Fuentes after the event, criticizing "white racism" and stating "there's no room for violence."
Gosar was born in Rock Springs, Wyoming, on November 27, 1958. He is the oldest of the seven sons and three daughters born to Antone John Gosar and Bernadette M. (née Erramouspe) Gosar. His paternal grandparents were Slovenian and his maternal grandparents were Basque immigrants from Banca, on the Franco-Spanish border. Gosar was raised in Pinedale, Wyoming, and graduated from Pinedale High School in 1977. His parents have been described as devoted Republicans who attended the national conventions for former presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford. Gosar's brother Pete is a former chairman of the Wyoming Democratic Party and was a candidate for governor of Wyoming in 2010 and 2014.
In 1981, Gosar received his B.S. degree from Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. In 1985, he earned his D.D.S. from the Boyne School of Dentistry at Creighton.
From 1989 to 2010, Gosar had a dentistry practice in Flagstaff, Arizona. In 2001, Gosar was the Arizona Dental Association's (AzDA) "Dentist of the Year". He was inducted into the AzDA Hall of Fame and served as its president from 2004 to 2005. Gosar was also president of the Northern Arizona Dental Society and vice-chair of the AzDA council on governmental affairs.
During the presidency of Donald Trump, Gosar voted in line with the president's stated position 86.1% of the time. During the presidency of Joe Biden, Gosar voted in line with the president's stated position 5.1% of the time.
Gosar describes himself as pro-life. He cosponsored the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, a bill that would make permanent restrictions on federal funding of abortions in the US, and the District of Columbia Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, an act placing restrictions on abortions in the District of Columbia. Gosar was given a 100% rating by the National Right to Life Committee, an anti-abortion interest group, and a 0% rating by NARAL (National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League), a abortion rights interest group.
As of 2020, Gosar has a "0" out of 100 rating from the Humane Society of the United States. Gosar supports dismantling the Endangered Species Act, calling it "status quo" and "costly, burdensome and uncertain."
On September 17, 2015, in an op-ed on the conservative website Townhall.com, Gosar announced that he would not attend Pope Francis's planned address to a joint meeting of Congress unless Francis spoke about issues such as "violent Islam" or Planned Parenthood instead of climate change. He wrote that he would treat Francis the same way he believes "leftist politicians" should be treated. Gosar said that Francis "adopted all of the socialist talking points, wrapped false science and ideology into 'climate justice' and is being presented to guilt people into leftist policies." He called climate science "questionable" and criticized Laudato si', Francis's encyclical on the environment.
Gosar did not attend Francis's September 24 address, the only member of Congress not to do so. Shortly after Francis's visit, Gosar used his opposition to his address as a fundraising tool. A fundraising email for Gosar used his Townhall.com op-ed's catchphrase, "When the Pope chooses to act and talk like a leftist politician, then he can expect to be treated like one" and positioned Gosar as the victim of "unprecedented attacks" from "the liberals, the left-wing media and the Obama political machine."
Gosar received an "F" grade from marijuana legalization advocacy group NORML.
In September 2021, Gosar was among 75 House Republicans to vote against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2022, which contains a provision that would require women to be drafted.
Gosar voted for the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.
In 2015, Gosar scored 3% on the National Environmental Scorecard of the League of Conservation Voters, in part because he is a global warming denier. On January 30, 2017, he introduced House Joint resolution 46, which would repeal the authority of the National Park Service to decline private drilling for oil, gas and minerals in 40 U.S. National Parks if the Park Service determines that the mining operation would threaten the environment. The Washington Post said Gosar was "no friend of environmentalists."
In September 2015, Gosar submitted articles of impeachment against EPA administrator Gina McCarthy, asserting that she had committed "high crimes and misdemeanors" and "lied to the American people in order to force misguided and overreaching regulations, which have no scientific basis, down our throats." An EPA spokeswoman said Gosar's resolution "has zero merit and is nothing more than political theater", while fellow Republican and House majority leader Kevin McCarthy confirmed that "There's no plan to impeach Gina McCarthy."
In 2019, Gosar co-signed a letter from Representative Ro Khanna and Senator Rand Paul to Trump asserting that it is "long past time to rein in the use of force that goes beyond congressional authorization" and that they hoped this would "serve as a model for ending hostilities in the future - in particular, as you and your administration seek a political solution to our involvement in Afghanistan."
In 2019, Gosar was one of 60 representatives to vote against condemning Trump's withdrawal from Syria.
In 2020, Gosar voted against the National Defense Authorization Act of 2021, which would prevent the president from withdrawing soldiers from Afghanistan without congressional approval.
In 2021, when the House overwhelmingly passed a measure condemning the Myanmar coup d'état, Gosar voted present, while 14 other House Republicans voted against it.
In June 2021, Gosar was one of 49 House Republicans to vote to repeal the 2002 Congressional authorization of the Iraq War.
Gosar has stated that the "Second Amendment is one of the most important rights set forth by the Bill of Rights" and that he will "continue to oppose efforts to restrict, infringe, or remove this constitutionally protected right." He was endorsed by the NRA (National Rifle Association) and given a rating of 92%. He was also endorsed by Gun Owners of America and given a rating of 75%.
Gosar opposed Obamacare and has advocated for physician-owned hospitals. He favors consumer choice of doctors, types of care and insurance plans.
The Arizona Republic described Gosar as "one of the staunchest opponents in Congress to legalizing undocumented dreamers". Gosar stated, "I strongly believe we need to immediately secure our border and oppose amnesty for anyone who blatantly violates our law." He has cosponsored legislation to repeal the 14th Amendment, thus eliminating birthright citizenship for children born in the US to undocumented immigrants. In a May 2018 interview he accused immigration attorneys providing legal advice to undocumented immigrants of committing a crime: "What we need to do is also hold those that are actually helping - what they're saying is help, but assisting in a crime - to be prosecuted as well."
Gosar supported the building of the Mexico-U.S. border wall propounded by Trump. Gosar believes it will help stop MS-13 gang activity in the United States. He has proposed a 10-year moratorium on all immigration.
In June 2021, Gosar was one of 14 House Republicans to vote against legislation to establish June 19, or Juneteenth, as a federal holiday.
In 2019, Gosar sought to reinstate Representative Steve King to the House committees from which King had been removed due to a series of remarks widely seen as racist. Gosar agreed with King's contention that his words had been taken out of context. In February 2021, Gosar spoke with King at the second annual America First Political Action Conference, hosted by white nationalist Nick Fuentes.
In April 2014, Gosar joined a group of five conservative Arizona state legislators at the Bundy Standoff in Bunkerville, Nevada, where grazing fee resistors and their supporters took up arms against Federal Bureau of Land Management and law enforcement officials. The confrontation ended when federal officials chose not to take further action.
In December 2014, Gosar drew controversy when he referred to American Indians as "wards of the federal government". He was responding to concerns from members of the Fort Apache Indian Reservation in eastern Arizona when he made the comment at the round-table talk in Flagstaff. The discussion had addressed the proposal to swap 2,400 acres of southeastern Arizona's Tonto National Forest for about 5,300 acres of environmentally sensitive land. The proposal, which was attached as a rider to the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act, would give land sacred to the Apache in Arizona to Resolution Copper Mine, a joint venture owned by Rio Tinto and BHP Billiton. Troy Eid, a Republican and former U.S. Attorney in Colorado, responded to Gosar's comments, "In the heated context of what this represents, it's especially inappropriate to be resorting to what amounts to race baiting." A Gosar spokesperson said his comments were misconstrued.
In January 2021, The New York Times detailed Gosar's comments on and alleged ties to the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers, some of whose members participated in the 2021 storming of the United States Capitol. Jim Arroyo, who heads the Yavapai County, Arizona, chapter of Oath Keepers, said that Gosar had attended one of its meetings, "And we asked him, flat out: 'Do you think we are headed towards a Civil War?' And he said, 'We are in a Civil War, we just haven't started shooting yet'... So that is about to change."
In July 2018, Gosar spoke at a rally in London in support of former English Defence League leader and anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson, emphasizing the importance of the right to free speech. Gosar and six other congressmen invited Robinson to speak to the Conservative Opportunity Society on November 14, 2018 while Robinson was visiting the United States on a trip sponsored by the Middle East Forum and the David Horowitz Freedom Center.
In February 2018, Gosar posted on his Facebook page that the Nunes memo - in which Republican Congressman Devin Nunes accused the FBI and U.S. Justice Department of illegally obtaining a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrant to spy on Trump adviser Carter Page - showed "clear and convincing evidence" that certain members of those agencies committed treason. He also specifically said conduct by former FBI Director James Comey, former Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates, and former Attorney General Rod Rosenstein was "not just criminal but constitutes treason". In what Gosar called "my full statement on the declassified memo", he said he would be "leading [sic] a letter to the Attorney General seeking criminal prosecution against these traitors to our nation."
In an October 2017 interview with Vice News, Gosar suggested that the white nationalist Unite the Right rally had been "created by the left", an idea previously expressed by Alex Jones of InfoWars, Representative Dana Rohrabacher, Dinesh D'Souza, and other right-wing figures. Gosar also suggested that Jason Kessler, the organizer of the Charlottesville rally, may have been backed by George Soros, whom he described as having "turned in his own people to the Nazis". Seven of Gosar's siblings wrote an open letter to the Kingman (Arizona) Daily Miner newspaper denouncing Gosar's claims about Soros as "despicable slander ... without a shred of truth", saying Gosar "owes George Soros a personal apology"; they also characterized his statements as an "anti-semitic dog whistle".
Paul Gosar's wife is Maude Gosar (née Connor). They have three children.
Paul Gosar is a Roman Catholic. He has criticized Pope Francis's papacy as "inconsistent with Christianity" and skipped Francis's 2015 address to Congress in protest.
Paul Gosar has arthritis and has had two compressed vertebrae in his back that have required surgery to correct. He cites years of hunching over for long periods while a dentist as the cause, as well as genetics and a history of playing rugby.
In 2018, six (David, Gaston, Grace, Jennifer, Joan, and Tim) of Paul Gosar's nine siblings participated in ads supporting their brother's political adversary, Dr. David Brill, M.D.
In the ads, all of the six siblings state their desire to defend their family's name lest the world think the entire Gosar family shares Paul's ideology. David Gosar said, "He's absolutely not working for his district." Tim said, "He's not listening to you and he doesn't have your best interests at heart." Grace said, "Paul Gosar, the congressman, isn't doing anything to help rural America." Jennifer said, "If he actually cared about people in rural Arizona, I bet he'd be fighting for Social Security, for better access to healthcare; I bet he'd be researching what is the most insightful water policy to help the environment of Arizona to sustain itself and be successful."
[RightWingWatch.org/, 2022-09-30]
[NPR.org, 2021-11-17] Representative Paul Gosar censured over an anime video showing him killing Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
The United States House of Representatives voted to censure hardline Republican Representative Paul Gosar (R-AZ), and remove him from his two committee assignments. The vote was mostly along party lines, 223-207. Two Republicans, Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY), and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), joined all Democrats to censure Gosar, while Representative David Joyce (R-OH), voted present.
The formal rebuke came after Paul Gosar posted an anime style video on Twitter last week [2021-11] that depicts him murdering a Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and attacking President Joe Biden. The video, which he deleted after intense blowback, shows a character with Gosar's image wielding a sword to kill a character with the image of Ocasio-Cortez.
Paul Gosar sat in the back corner of the floor of the House of Representatives during Wednesday [2021-11-17]'s debate wearing an American flag mask. When it was his turn to speak he again defended the video, saying "no threat was intended" and did not express any regret for the fallout. He compared himself to Alexander Hamilton, who was the first person the United States Congress attempted to censure, when he served in George Washington's cabinet.
Also present in the chamber was Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who argued the issue was "pretty cut and dry" - if violence was not acceptable in people's homes, in school board meetings, it should not be acceptable in Congress.
Under the censure resolution adopted by the House, Paul Gosar had to stand in the well of the chamber and listen to the rebuke as it was read aloud. And he will no longer serve on the United States House Committee on Natural Resources or the United States House Committee on Oversight and Reform - where Alexandria Ocasio Cortez is also a member.
The last time the United States House of Representatives censured a lawmaker was in 2010 when the ethics committee found Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY), misused official congressional resources and filed inaccurate financial reports and tax returns.
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[DemocracyNow.org, 2021-11-17] Rep. Gosar Faces Censure for AOC Murder Video, Refuses to Apologize. Sister Calls Him a "Sociopath."
We speak with Jennifer Gosar, the youngest sister of far-right Arizona Congress member Paul Gosar, who faces censure in a House vote today for posting an animated video on social media that features him murdering Congress member Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacking President Biden with swords. Gosar will be required to stand in the well of the House while the resolution is read. His colleagues will also vote to strip him of his assignments on the Committee on Oversight and Reform, alongside Ocasio-Cortez, and the Committee on Natural Resources. "He's continuing to sing to that white supremacist base that he fundraises from," says Jennifer Gosar, who has previously described him as a "sociopath."
[ ... snip ... ]
[Time.com, 2018-09-12] Arizona Congressman's 6 Siblings Turn Against Him in Opponent's Campaign Ad.
Phoenix RepublicanPaul Gosar's brothers and sisters have made their sibling rivalry political. Six of Gosar's siblings appeared in a political ad Friday [2018-09-21: video], condemning their brother and endorsing his Democratic opponent Dr. David Brill. The ad entitled "A family defends its honor" features siblings Tim, Jennifer, Gaston, Joan, Grace and David.
David Brill is looking to unseat Paul Gosar, who has represented Arizona's 4th Congressional District since 2013, in the upcoming midterm elections. In his campaign video, siblings of the incumbent representatives reject their brother's far-right political stance on immigration, the environment and health care. Gosar has been supportive of President Donald Trump.
"We gotta stand up for our good name," brother David says in the ad. "This is not who we are." "I couldn't be quiet any longer, nor should any of us be," sister Grace says. "I think my brother has traded a lot of the values we had at our kitchen table," sister Joan said.
In a statement regarding the ad, Dr. David Brill said Paul Gosar's siblings have long been on record as critical of their brother Paul, but this is the first time they have endorsed a competing candidate or actively involved themselves in a political campaign. "They feel this is a matter of civic duty, making their public statements even more compelling." he said.
David Brill acknowledged that speaking against their brother was not easy for Paul Gosar's siblings. "I greatly appreciate and admire the courage of the Gosar family in stepping into the national spotlight for this vital message," he said. "We all must honor their dedication of working to build a better future for all Americans. This is a commitment I believe in and will fight for."
The six siblings who spoke out are not the Congressman's only siblings. He is one of 10 children and three of his other siblings seemed to have not participated. Congressman Paul Gosar did not immediately reply to a request for comment.
Despite the powerful ad, the odds seem to be in Paul Gosar's favor. Polling shows that Gosar has a 99.9% chance of being re-elected. [update: Paul Gosar received 68.2% of the votes compared to David Brill's 30.5% in Arizona's 4th Congressional District House Election, 2018.]
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