A democracy advocacy group that gathered outside Senator Josh Hawley’s house to protest his plan to reject the U.S. election result has defended its actions after he accused it of threatening his family.
The Missouri lawmaker reacted angrily to members of the group ShutDownDC appearing outside his residence on Monday to oppose Hawley’s plan on Wednesday to challenge the congressional certification of President-elect Joe Biden‘s election victory.
“Tonight we dropped in at the home of @HawleyMO to encourage him to end his attack on democracy. Let’s be clear, Hawley and his pals are doing real and serious damage to our democracy. And they’re emboldening thugs like the #ProudBoys,” the group tweeted.
It was a candlelight vigil, snowflake. And your house isn’t in DC, it’s in a suburb 30 mins outside of the District. You’re supposed to be representing Missouri in the senate. Why did you move your primary residence to the Virginia suburbs. https://t.co/nMOwj3Z6kU
— ShutDownDC (@ShutDown_DC) January 5, 2021
Tonight we dropped in at the home of @HawleyMO to encourage him to end his attack on democracy. Let’s be clear, Hawley and his pals are doing real and serious damage to our democracy. And they’re emboldening thugs like the #ProudBoys https://t.co/W5liUoi77u
— ShutDownDC (@ShutDown_DC) January 5, 2021
Video uploaded to YouTube shows members of the group, some with megaphones, chanting slogans, including “democracy is under attack.” Four members walk up to the steps and stand by the door of the residence.
In a statement on its website, ShutDown DC said it had delivered a copy of the U.S. Constitution to Hawley’s door and that police arrived at the senator’s residence at around 7:45 p.m.
In a tweet, Hawley said he was in Missouri at the time of the action but that his family was at the residence. “Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel.”
ShutDown DC’s Facebook page says it “uses strategic direct action to advance justice and hold officials accountable.”
Hawley added: “They screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door. Let me be clear: My family & I will not be intimidated by leftwing violence.”
But the group justified its actions, tweeting: “It was a candlelight vigil, snowflake. And your house isn’t in DC, it’s in a suburb 30 mins outside of the District.
“You’re supposed to be representing Missouri in the senate. Why did you move your primary residence to the Virginia suburbs,” the group added. Newsweek has contacted Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department for comment.
Hawley has staked a lot on his decision to contest the Electoral College results in the face of opposition on both sides of the aisle, including from prominent GOP lawmakers like Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC). Numerous lawsuits that claimed without evidence the election was marred by fraud have been rejected.
When challenged on Fox News on Monday that under the Constitution, the Electoral College result would have to stand, Hawley said: “My constituents expect me to have the right to say ‘I have a problem'” with the claims of electoral fraud.
Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) on October 22, 2020 in Washington, DC. He says his family has been threatened over his move to reject Electoral College votes following the election on November 3. Samuel Corum/Getty Images
