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Over the last week or so, Sen. Josh Hawley has received quite a bit of attention, in large part because of the footage aired during last week’s Jan. 6 committee hearing. For the first time, the public saw the Missouri Republican running away during the attack on the Capitol, fleeing the same radicals for whom he’d previously signaled support.
But that wasn’t the only relevant revelation. During last week’s hearing we also learned that, according to a Capitol police officer who served on Jan. 6, when Hawley raised his fist in solidarity with the radicals, it had the effect of helping fuel the crowd of rioters.
As Rep. Elaine Luria explained, it bothered the Capitol officer "greatly" because the senator “was doing it in a safe space, protected by the officers and the barriers.” But when the barriers fell and many officers were overrun and beaten, it was Hawley who turned tail.
As the Republican is derided as a “laughingstock,” what does he have to say for himself? A CNN reporter caught up with Hawley a couple of days ago and asked the senator about the Capitol police officer’s concerns. He responded:
“I don’t regret anything that I did on that day. It’s a privilege to be attacked by the Jan. 6 committee. And I want to thank — say thank you for all the help with my fundraising. It’s been tremendous.”
As for the video of him running away, the GOP lawmaker, looking quite pleased with himself, added, “This is just an attempt to troll. Listen, I don’t regret anything I did on that day. And the reason I’m being attacked by the Jan. 6 committee is because I’m in their way.”
Right off the bat, let’s note that Hawley is not, in reality, in the way of the Jan. 6 committee. Investigators don’t appear to need him at all, and their work continues irrespective of his apathy.
What’s more, the fact that the Missourian keeps emphasizing how few regrets he has says a great deal about his character. We are, after all, talking about a senator who took a series of deliberate steps to undermine his own country’s democracy — earning the scorn of his colleagues.
Republican Sen. Ben Sasse said last year, for example, in reference to Hawley, “Adults don’t point a loaded gun at the heart of legitimate self-government.” Republican Sen. Pat Toomey said Hawley would be "haunted" by his actions.
He seems able to take pride in his misdeeds, but it’s tough not to wonder whether he has to avoid making eye contact with Capitol police when he’s on the Hill.
But let’s not brush past the fact that when asked about his Jan. 6 antics, one of Hawley’s first instincts was to focus on one thing: money.
A pattern of behavior is coming into focus. As we recently discussed, a week before the Jan. 6 attack, as Senate Republican leaders implored their members not to object to the results of the 2020 presidential election, Hawley ignored the pleas and announced he’d do it anyway.
It was literally the next day when the Missouri Republican — you guessed it — started raising money off his anti-election scheme, encouraging donors to reward his hostility for democracy.
Shortly before the insurrectionist violence began in earnest, Hawley raised his fist — and then sent out another fundraising appeal, seeking more financial rewards for his antipathy toward democracy.
This week, asked about having earned the ire of Capitol police, Hawley responded with indifference toward propriety — before quickly expressing great interest in his “tremendous” fundraising related to his dishonorable behavior.
All of which leaves us with an awkward question: Just how much of the Republican’s misconduct is directly tied to his interest in collecting more money?