GOP Rep. Randy Fine says he’d choose dogs over Muslims, and his own party is scrambling

Rep. Randy Fine is facing calls for censure and resignation after a post on X in which he said he would choose dogs over Muslims. The backlash has also sparked demands that Speaker Mike Johnson remove Fine from his committee assignments.

As reported by Axios, Fine wrote on Sunday, “If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one.” He later defended himself during a Tuesday morning appearance on Newsmax, linking his comments to claims about Democrats and voting.

Democrats and civil rights groups condemned the remarks, with several lawmakers calling for formal House action. Fine has not apologized and has continued posting about the controversy, while the Republican response has been limited.

The backlash is growing as leaders stay mostly silent

Fine’s post drew sharp criticism from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who called it one of the most disgusting statements she had seen from an American official and said he should be censured and stripped of committee roles. Rep. Ro Khanna also called for censure and labeled the statement “disgusting bigotry,” while Rep. Delia Ramírez said Fine should resign.

House Oversight Committee ranking member Robert Garcia urged Speaker Johnson to strip Fine of all committees and said he should be forced to resign. Outside Washington, Canada’s curling double-touch row has also drawn attention this week.

The controversy also prompted condemnation from Senate Democrats, including Sens. Jacky Rosen and Catherine Cortez-Masto. Rosen said Fine should apologize and called on Johnson to condemn the remarks. On the Republican side, Rep. Don Bacon was the only elected GOP lawmaker cited as weighing in publicly, saying he did not agree with Fine’s statement and that people should be respectful.

Fine responded to the backlash by posting images of dogs alongside the slogan “Don’t tread on me.” He also shared a photo tied to Nerdeen Kiswani, a co-founder of the pro-Palestinian group Within Our Lifetime, and argued he was providing context for his original post. Kiswani accused Fine and others of mischaracterizing her comments and said her initial remark was satirical. Separate entertainment coverage has also focused on an Industry Season 1 hidden detail.

Axios noted Fine has made other inflammatory statements about Muslims and Palestinians in the past, including advocating for the mass expulsion of American Muslims and making comments about Gaza and surrender. The report also described how censure resolutions have become more common, requiring only a simple majority, and noted a proposal introduced last year to raise the threshold did not advance.