Josh Hawley Defends Electoral College Objection, Blasts Democrats For Lying About January 6 Capitol Riot
GOP Senator Josh Hawley wants to put focus on a debate about election integrity after the last election was marred by various claims of fraud and election irregularities in key battleground states.
The Missouri senator earlier objected to the result of the Electoral College vote that confirmed Democrat Joe Biden’s win “in order to have a debate about election integrity.
“I think we need election reforms. I think we need to ban ballot harvesting. I think we need to take a hard look at how the mail in balloting was administered in many of these states, including Pennsylvania, which did not follow their own law,” the senator told Fox News host Mark Levin.
“What the liberals have said is, ‘because you did that, you effectively incited violence [Jan. 6],’” Hawley added. “That’s a lie. They know it’s a lie.”
“They said, ‘he wanted to overturn the election.’ That’s a lie. They know that it’s a lie. They said that, you know, ‘It’s equivalent to a violent insurrection, the objection you raised.’ That’s a lie. They know that it’s a lie,” he continued.
Free pass for progressive Democrats?
In his show, Levin also raised how extreme left Democrats like the “Squad” are being given “free pass” compared to the backlash being received by Republicans by not “conforming” with what liberals want.
“AOC and [Rashida] Tlaib and [Ayanna] Pressley and others on the Democrat side in the House, it appears they can say just about anything they want to say to anybody,” the show host said.
“They can make these outrageous allegations about this country. They can make outrageous allegations about their colleagues, honestly. They can make outrageous allegations about the state of Israel for which there’s no pushback, for which their colleagues don’t seek any kind of recrimination whatsoever,” he added.
Meanwhile, Senator Hawley said he objected to the Electoral College vote from Pennsylvania because of “legitimate issues” contrary to claims of Democrats which he said was only meant to “silence” their opponents in Washington.
“I think what we’re seeing now is an attempt by the left to lie about our motivations, to lie about our actions in order to grab power,” the senator representing Missouri said.
“They want to silence dissent. They want to silence me. And I tell you right now, I am not going to back down before a liberal mob,” he added.
Hawley hits back at progressives
Earlier, Hawley was part of the GOP lawmakers being demanded by self-proclaimed Democratic socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez to resign for their alleged role in the Capitol Hill riot. The media have also hounded Hawley for his efforts to object to the election certification amid concerns of voter fraud.
AOC noted that the GOP lawmakers should step down from office saying that exercising their right to challenge the Electoral College votes is “abandonment of our sworn oath.”
Meanwhile, Hawley said he will continue to represent his constituents.
Democrats in DC say they want unity. They don’t want unity. They want total control. Control of what we say, what we think, and who we support. And they are working in lockstep with Big Tech and Big corporations to silence us. pic.twitter.com/WsY4qKkdoN
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 26, 2021
“We need live in fear only if we choose to say nothing. In this time of testing, conservatives must not shrink back. We need to stand up for the right of every American to be heard,” he said.
“We need to stand up for the basic principles that join all Americans together — the right to speak freely, to debate openly, and to address our differences graciously without fear of being silenced or punished for dissenting views,” Hawley added.
“I for one am not going to back down … I will continue to represent the people of my state without fear or favor, whatever the left or the corporations say.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "I have demanded the resignations of Sens. Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Republican Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy." pic.twitter.com/A3oLgjjDL8
— The Hill (@thehill) January 17, 2021
Near-majority approve of Hawley’s work
As Sen. Hawley gets more and more pressure from Democrats to resign in the wake of the January 6 chaos in Capitol Hill, his constituents in Missouri generally approved of his performance.
A Missouri Scout poll found that 46% of Missourians approve of Hawley’s job as their junior senator, and a lesser 40% disapprove with 14% unsure about his job performance. Among Republicans, his job performance was at 73% with 15% of GOP voters saying otherwise.
