Hawley defended himself in a newspaper column Wednesday, accusing the media and “Washington establishment” of deceiving Americans into calling him an “insurrectionist.”
See: Josh Hawley rebuked by fellow Republicans and home-state newspapers — and even his political mentor
Hawley’s column appeared in the Southeast Missourian, a daily newspaper in Cape Girardeau, Mo. It marked the first time Hawley, 41, has publicly defended himself since the brutal attack on Jan. 6 when a mob of President Donald Trump’s supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol following the president’s rally.
Other than Trump himself, no politician has suffered the fallout as has Hawley. Multiple donors have pulled financial support. Meanwhile, the vigorously Trump-critical Lincoln Project said it would take out full-page newspaper ads calling out his remaining donors.
Small crowds gathered at Hawley’s offices in Kansas City, Springfield, St. Louis and Columbia in what was dubbed a statewide “Funeral for Democracy.” The groups delivered letters to the offices demanding Hawley’s resignation.
“Missouri is fed up,” Justice Horn, of Kansas City, who helped organize the event, said in a news release. “Our Senator, Josh Hawley, is an embarrassment to our state because he supported a bloody coup attempt to overthrow our election. The best thing to do is resign.”