Rep. Randy Fine (R-Fla.) is facing calls for censure or resignation following a controversial social media post that has drawn widespread criticism from Democrats.
The controversy began on Feb. 15, when Palestinian American activist Nerdeen Kiswani said in a post on X that dogs do not belong as indoor pets.
“Finally, NYC is coming to Islam,” she wrote. “Dogs definitely have a place in society, just not as indoor pets. Like we’ve said all along, they are unclean.”
Kiswani, who cofounded and chairs Palestinian advocacy group Within Our Lifetime, told NBC News that her comment was intended as satire, describing it as a reference to a “hyper-local NYC conversation” about dog waste following a recent snowstorm. She said that she was mocking what she characterized as Islamophobic hysteria framing New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s mayoralty as a broader societal takeover.
Fine, a freshman congressman, responded to the post.
“If they force us to choose, the choice between dogs and Muslims is not a difficult one,” he wrote in a post on X.
The comment prompted backlash from Democrats; several members of Congress condemned the statement and urged disciplinary action.
In a Feb. 17 statement, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) called Fine “a disgrace to the United States Congress.” Jeffries also criticized House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and House Republicans for not responding publicly.
“It is unacceptable that Mike Johnson and House Republicans continue to remain silent,” Jeffries said. “Their casual acceptance of hateful and divisive language enables this out-of-control behavior. Republican leaders must hold this so-called Member of Congress accountable.”
The Epoch Times has reached out to Johnson’s office for comment.
Jeffries said that House Democrats would not allow what he described as racist and bigoted behavior to go unchecked, although he did not specify what form accountability might take.
Fine responded to Jeffries with another post featuring a modified Gadsden flag depicting a dog wearing a sombrero in place of the snake. The sombrero is in reference to videos President Donald Trump posted last year of Jeffries wearing one.
Fine wrote, “He’s just jealous of our new dog, Hakeem.”
Other Democrats also weighed in. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) called for Fine to be censured and stripped of his committee assignments in a social media post. Censure is a formal reprimand issued by the House and can carry consequences such as removal from committee positions. Fine serves on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Education and Workforce Committee.
“This is genuinely one of the most disgusting statements I have ever seen issued by an American official,” Ocasio-Cortez said in a Feb. 17 post on X.
Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) urged Fine to resign.
“It’s disgusting that any person—much less a sitting member of the United States Congress—espouses such vitriolic hate and bigotry,” McGovern wrote in a social media post.
Fine defended his remarks in a Feb. 17 post on social media, criticizing lawmakers from the Democratic Party for their response.
“Not one Democrat has come out and said that people have the right to own a dog,” he wrote. “They’re all coming down on the side of, ‘You can lead your dog to slaughter if that’s what we have to do to make Muslim immigrants happy.’ Remember where they stand.”
