“Unrepentant bigot”: Democrats push for censure of Fine following anti-Muslim comments

Democrats are calling for the censure of Florida Rep. Randy Fine after he made hateful comments about Muslims in the United States.

Earlier this week, the recent addition to the House of Representatives wrote that the  “choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” The post led to immediate condemnation from Democratic lawmakers, who reacted with calls for Fine to be censured or resign.

“This is genuinely one of the most disgusting statements I have ever seen issued by an American official,” Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., wrote on X. “It should not stop shocking us that the Republican Party openly embraces this. Fine should be censured & stripped of committees. To ignore this is to accept and normalize it.”

Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., called for Fine to be censured in the name of “morality and decency.” Rep. Delia Ramirez called Fine’s post “despicable, hateful and dangerous.”

“He must take responsibility and resign,” she wrote on X.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries called Fine a “disgusting and unrepentant bigot” and warned in a statement that “accountability is coming to all of these sick extremists when the gavels change hands in November.” Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, he pressed for the Republican caucus to take action.

“Mike Johnson has spent a lot of time talking about decorum. Get your members under control,” he said. “Because if you don’t, we will.”

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This is far from Fine’s first brush with Islamophobia. As a state senator in Florida, he advocated for allowing students to carry guns on college campuses to ward off the threat of “Muslim terror.” He has pushed for the expulsion of Muslims from the United States, and the removal of Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar from the House.

Fine has not appeared fearful of censure or any loss of his committee assignments. In the days since he made the post, he’s doubled down several times, posting images of reworked Gadsden flags with a dog in the center.