Rep. Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.) is developing an unfortunate reputation. I tend to think of the Arizona Republican as the guy who wanted to impeach former Attorney General Eric Holder for no particular reason, and when that didn’t pan out, he wanted to impeach former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy for no particular reason.
The GOP congressman then said he’d boycott Pope Francis’ 2015 congressional address because, as Goas put it at the time, the Pontiff “chooses to act and talk like a leftist politician.”
Last fall, Gosar went completely around the bend, suggesting George Soros played a role in financing white supremacist rallies in Charlottesville.
Today, as Roll Call reported, the Arizona Republican made headlines for a brand new reason.
Rep. Paul Gosar has asked the Capitol Police and the Department of Justice to “consider checking identification” of everyone attending President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address and “arresting any illegal aliens in attendance,” the Arizona Republican announced Tuesday on Twitter.
The move is presumably aimed at so-called Dreamers who will be in attendance.
Dozens of congressional Democrats intend to make a symbolic statement at tonight’s event by bringing beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to Capitol Hill.
There’s no reason to take them into custody — or to want to take them into custody. Officials with the Capitol Police haven’t said whether they intend to take Gosar’s advice about the State of the Union, and House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said he did not endorse the Arizonan’s request. I believe Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) spoke for many when he tweeted, in direct response to Gosar, “What’s wrong with you?” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) added, “This is why we can’t have nice things…”
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
