He raised eyebrows in March after tweeting a meme featuring a man asking a prostitute to “tell everyone America First is inevitable,” the tagline of the white nationalist group.
For Democrats, the animated video was the final straw.
“This was a vile, dangerous incitement to violence,” said Representative Steny H. Hoyer of Maryland, the majority leader. “I have not seen something so egregious in my 40 years of service in the Congress of the United States, and unfortunately it’s a pattern.” He said he wished Republican leaders would act to discipline Mr. Gosar on their own, but added, “action must be taken.”
In the resolution, Democrats took Mr. Gosar to task for targeting Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, asserting that “violence against women in politics is a global phenomenon meant to silence women and discourage them from seeking positions of authority and participating in public life, with women of color disproportionately impacted.”
Republicans have said the Democratic majority has been setting a dangerous precedent by acting against individuals in the minority. Earlier this year, the Democratic-led House voted to strip Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, of her committee assignments after social media posts emerged from before her election in which she endorsed violence against Democrats in Congress.
“In future years, this precedent may be used to give the majority veto power over the minority’s committee assignments,” said Representative Tom Cole, Republican of Oklahoma. “That’s a dangerous, dark road for the institution to go down.”
Representative Kevin McCarthy of California, the Republican leader, has declined to publicly denounce the video, but told reporters on Tuesday that he has told lawmakers that he would not accept “any action or showing of a violence to another member.” Mr. McCarthy said he had called Mr. Gosar after the Arizona Republican posted the video, and noted that he had deleted the video after their call.
The last time the House censured a lawmaker was in 2010, after a yearslong ethics investigation found Representative Charles B. Rangel, Democrat of New York, guilty of a litany of abuses including failing to pay his income taxes and misuse of his office to solicit campaign donations.
Jonathan Weisman contributed reporting.
