House Democrats are moving to censure Reps. Randy Fine (R-FL) and Andy Ogles (R-TN), both of whom have made statements heavily criticizing Islam in recent days after violent incidents.
Democrats are seeking to formally punish Fine for making statements they regard as Islamophobic and racist, according to Axios. The report came after Rep. Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ) called for censuring him over comments he made shortly after attacks in Michigan and Virginia at a synagogue and a university on Thursday.
In response to those attacks, Fine said the United States needs “more Islamophobia, not less” and that “fear of Islam is rational.”
“Randy Fine’s vile racism should have already resulted in censure,” she wrote on X. “I’ve asked before and I’m asking again: [House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA)], will you reprimand Rep. Fine? Strip him of his committee assignments? Anything? Or does the Republican caucus condone racism?”
Fine responded to the congresswoman, calling her an “idiot” for ignoring Islam-related attacks in the past two weeks.
The suspected attacker in Michigan, who used a car to ram into a Detroit-area synagogue, reportedly lost four relatives in an Israeli airstrike on Lebanon last week amid the war with Iran. In Virginia, the perpetrator who fatally shot one person at Old Dominion University was a former National Guard member convicted in 2017 for trying to support ISIS. Each suspect is now dead.
Meanwhile, the censure process for Ogles has already started after Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-MI) introduced a two-page resolution that condemns his “Islamophobic, racist, and anti-immigrant rhetoric” on social media.
“Muslims don’t belong in American society. Pluralism is a lie,” Ogles posted on Monday.
The statement generated widespread backlash, coming not long after two pro-Islam protesters were arrested in New York City for throwing improvised explosive devices at anti-Islam demonstrators in a rally led by pardoned Jan. 6 rioter Jake Lang. No one was killed or injured.
The NYPD has been on heightened alert since the incident. In the first three days after the attempted attack, officers searched a suspicious device left in a vehicle and a package found near Gracie Mansion.
The recent events motivated Ogles to prepare a bill to repeal the Hart-Cellar Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, which ended selective immigration quotas for entry into the United States.
Separately, Ogles is pushing legislation to ban the entry of immigrants from predominantly Muslim countries and other foreign adversaries of the U.S. If passed, the legislation would target Iran, Libya, North Korea, Syria, Venezuela, and Yemen. It includes an exception for U.S. citizens.
OGLES SAYS MUSLIMS ‘DON’T BELONG’ IN US TWO DAYS AFTER ATTACK ON NYC PROTESTERS
It remains to be seen if the new censure efforts will gain any traction. House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) appears open to the idea while Johnson defends the two Republican lawmakers.
The Washington Examiner contacted the offices of Fine and Ogles for comment in response to Democrats’ censure efforts.