Hey, remember when Senator Josh Hawley helped spread Donald Trump’s 2020 election lies, raised his fist in solidarity with the MAGA mob coming to attack the Capitol, sprinted from the violence while law enforcement risked their lives, and then returned to vote to block the results of the election from being certified? Nearly 19 months later, a person with a conscience would no doubt be horrified by their actions, get down on their proverbial (or literal!) knees to beg for forgiveness, and resign in shame. As a member of the Republican Party though, Hawley was either born without the gene for shame or had it surgically removed upon assuming office. And far from coming to the realization that his actions were beyond the pale, he believes they were entirely justifiable and, apparently, wouldn’t have done anything differently. And we know this because he said so today.
Speaking to CNN, the Missouri senator told the outlet Wednesday, “I don’t regret anything I did on that day.” Responding to the January 6 committee’s claim that his infamous fist pump riled up the bloodthirsty crowd, whose actions would ultimately lead to the deaths of numerous people, Hawley said, “It’s a privilege to be attacked by the January 6 committee, and I want to say thank you for all the help with my fundraising.” Of the mortifying footage the committee aired during its final scheduled prime-time hearing of the summer, showing the terrified lawmaker fleeing the Capitol, Hawley insisted: “This is just an attempt to troll…the reason I’m being attacked by the January 6 committee is because I’m in their way and the stand that I took is one that I don’t regret and one that I won’t back down from.”
In addition to apparently raising money off of the video of him bolting out of the Capitol, which we will share here for posterity…
…Hawley also started selling mugs and other merchandise with a photo of him pumping his fist in solidarity with the people assembled outside the Capitol just one month after the attack. In March 2021, Politico, which owns the copyrighted image, sent a cease and desist letter to Hawley’s campaign, asking it stop selling items using the photo. To which Team Hawley responded: “The image used on the mug is a protected fair use and the Hawley campaign’s speech is further protected by the First Amendment. Neither the campaign nor Sen. Hawley will engage in self-censorship to placate the legally baseless demands of your client.”
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