Overview
- Representative Randy Fine wrote on X, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” drawing immediate backlash.
- California Governor Gavin Newsom urged Fine to step down, calling him a “racist slob,” while other lawmakers pressed for censure or a formal reprimand.
- Democrats including Representatives Brendan Boyle and Yassamin Ansari criticized the remarks as bigoted, with Ansari urging Speaker Johnson to act.
- Fine said he was responding to a post by Palestinian activist Nerdeen Kiswani about dogs and Islam; Kiswani later clarified her comment was a joke referencing New York’s current dog-mess discourse.
- Coverage notes Fine’s prior anti-Muslim statements, including calls in December for a Muslim travel ban and deportations, with civil rights groups warning of rising anti-Muslim discrimination; no House discipline had been reported.