The terrorists were not some floating, unaffiliated mob which sprang out of the earth without warning. They were 100% the product, the culmination, of years of right-wing lunacy, Republican-sown conspiracy and incitement by not only Donald Trump, but many Republicans in Congress. Senator Josh Hawley is definitely one of those people responsible for the terrorist attack on the Capitol. Hawley was the senator who started the “let’s object to the ratification of Biden’s victory and try to disrupt democracy.” Hawley is one of the many elected officials who has gone all-in on Trumpism. Before the siege, this was Hawley raising a fist in salute to the white supremacist terrorists who would lay siege to the Capitol a short time later.
Remember this moment: Josh Hawley expressing solidarity with an insurrection of domestic terrorists that he himself egged on by denying the results of a free and fair election to raise his profile for his own presidential run in 2024. pic.twitter.com/Q02z26fO3g
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) January 6, 2021
Hawley’s hometown newspapers have taken note of his acts of sedition, and the editorial board of the Kansas City Star have excoriated him in an editorial:
No one other than President Donald Trump himself is more responsible for Wednesday’s coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol than one Joshua David Hawley, the 41-year-old junior senator from Missouri, who put out a fundraising appeal while the siege was underway.
This, Sen. Hawley, is what law-breaking and destruction look like. This is not a protest, but a riot. One woman who was apparently part of the pro-Trump mob was fatally shot by Capitol Police as lawmakers took cover. Some of those whose actions Trump encouraged and later condoned brought along their Confederate flags.
And no longer can it be asked, as George Will did recently of Hawley, “Has there ever been such a high ratio of ambition to accomplishment?” Hawley’s actions in the last week had such impact that he deserves an impressive share of the blame for the blood that’s been shed.
Hawley was first to say that he would oppose the certification of Joe Biden’s Electoral College win. That action, motivated by ambition, set off much that followed — the rush of his fellow presidential aspirant Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and other members of the Sedition Caucus to put a show of loyalty to the president above all else.
After mayhem broke out, Hawley put out this uncharacteristically brief statement: “Thank you to the brave law enforcement officials who have put their lives on the line. The violence must end, those who attacked police and broke the law must be prosecuted, and Congress must get back to work and finish its job.” So modest, Senator, failing to note your key role in inspiring one of the most heartbreaking days in modern American history. We lost something precious on Wednesday, as condolence notes to our democracy from our friends around the world recognize.
Among those Hawley got to emulate him was Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall, whose very first act as a member of the world’s greatest deliberative body was to sell out his country by attempting to overturn the outcome of a legitimate election. This revolt is the result, and if you didn’t know this is where we’ve been headed from the start, it’s because you didn’t want to know.
Yes to all of this. While it’s horrifying – unsurprising, but horrifying – that Donald Trump incited all of this terrorism, he had tons of help, mostly from reprehensible Republican dickbags like Josh Hawley. I just saw that there’s a move to disbar Hawley, which is a nice start. But he should no longer be a senator. He should be in prison for his role in inciting this terrorist attack.
Photos courtesy of Getty.
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