KC activists ask Hawley to resign: ‘What happened at the Capitol can never happen again’
Kansas City activists called for U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley’s resignation at a protest Wednesday afternoon outside the federal courthouse. They join lawmakers across the country who have decried the Missouri Republican’s role in the charge to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s electoral win.
The protest, which drew about 35 people, followed shortly after President Donald Trump was impeached for inciting last week’s violent riot at the U.S. Capitol.
The rally, which coincided with ones in St. Louis, Springfield and Columbia, came as local organization Reale Justice Network delivered 127,000 signatures to Hawley’s office calling for his resignation. The signatures were collected as part of a Change.org petition, organizers said.
Hawley has faced a wave of criticism and calls from across the political spectrum for his resignation, with critics charging that he helped create the climate for Wednesday’s Capitol riot.
“I hope he understands that what happened at the Capitol can never happen again,” one of the group’s organizers, Ashley Johnson, told reporters. “We will not stand for treason.”
A photo of Hawley raising his fist to a crowd of Trump loyalists caught fire on social media the day of the insurrection.
Sara Campbell, of Veterans for Peace, said his action empowered rioters at the Capitol. It was as if he said, “I’m with you,” she said.
“He was a constitutional law professor,” Campbell said. “He knows that what he’s doing has no merit. He’s doing it deliberately to fan the flames.”
Those gathered outside the downtown Kansas City building Wednesday chanted, “Hawley must go” and held signs that read, “Show me accountability.” They said Hawley claimed to represent Missourians, but his values do not align with all of them.
Hawley has said little publicly in the week since the insurrection, but his spokesperson provided The Star with a statement Wednesday. It was the same statement his office gave a week earlier.
“I will never apologize for giving voice to the millions of Missourians and Americans who have concerns about the integrity of our elections,” Hawley said. “That’s my job, and I will keep doing it.”
The spokesperson also pointed to Hawley’s comments during his speech on the Senate floor on the night of the attack. Condemning the rioters, he said then that violence is not how change is achieved.
“There is no place for that in the United States of America,” Hawley said.
That speech came after Hawley sent multiple fundraising pleas linked to his objection to Biden’s electoral votes. He was photographed pumping his fist in the air to a crowd of President Donald Trump’s supporters before the riot, which was an unsuccessful attempt to thwart Congress from counting Biden’s 306 electoral votes.
On Tuesday, Democrats introduced a resolution in the Missouri House demanding Hawley resign over “his leading role in inciting sedition and violent insurrection” against the U.S.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
This story was originally published January 13, 2021 at 5:20 PM.
