Those watching the House speakership vote on Tuesday were surprised to see known rivals Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, and Paul Gosar, R-AZ, casually chatting in the House chamber.
In a clip captured by C-SPAN and widely shared online, Gosar and Ocasio-Cortez appear to be having a friendly conversation during a break after House GOP Leader Kevin McCarthy’s speakership bid fell short of the required 218 votes, prompting another round of voting.
The exchange was shocking owing to the lawmakers’ fractious history, which reached a climax when Gosar tweeted an animated spoof video depicting violence against Ocasio-Cortez and President Biden. Ocasio-Cortez accused Gosar of being a “white supremacist” at the time. As a result, Gosar was censured and removed from his committee assignments.