Overview
- Rep. Randy Fine wrote on X, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” drawing immediate rebukes.
- Democrats including Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Robert Garcia, Ro Khanna and Gov. Gavin Newsom urged censure, loss of committee assignments or resignation.
- Fine doubled down with dog images styled on the Gadsden flag and defended his remarks in media appearances, writing, “We will not be shamed into being conquered like the Europeans.”
- Fine’s post targeted activist Nerdeen Kiswani, whose earlier comment about dogs was later described by her as satire tied to a local New York City debate over dog waste.
- No formal discipline has been announced and Speaker Mike Johnson has not publicly weighed in, while Jewish groups and some pro-Israel figures also condemned Fine’s rhetoric and a few Republicans voiced discomfort.