Sen. Hawley defends his decision to object during Electoral College count, condemns violence

Sen. Josh Hawley, who has faced some blowback after lodging an objection during the count of electoral votes in Congress last week, defended his move in a column while condemning the violence at the U.S. Capitol where rioters breached the building.

In his piece, the Missouri Republican pointed out that Democrats objected following elections of 2000, 2004 and 2016, and he said that "they were within their rights to do so."

"This time around, anyone who objected has been called an 'insurrectionist,' he wrote. "Sadly, much of the media and many members of the Washington establishment want to deceive Americans into thinking those who raised concerns incited violence, simply by voicing the concern. That’s false. And the allegation itself is corrosive and dangerous."

"Many, many citizens in Missouri have deep concerns about election integrity," Hawley noted. "For months, I heard from these Missourians—writing, calling my office, stopping me to talk. They want Congress to take action to see that our elections at every level are free, fair, and secure. They have a right to be heard in Congress. And as their representative, it is my duty to speak on their behalf. That is just what I did last week."

Last week Simon & Schuster announced that it would cancel publication of Hawley's upcoming book, "The Tyranny of Big Tech."

Hallmark requested that Hawley and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall return money supplied by its political action committee: "Hallmark believes the peaceful transition of power is part of the bedrock of our democratic system, and we abhor violence of any kind," the company said in a statement. "The recent actions of Senators Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall do not reflect our company’s values. As a result, HALLPAC requested Sens. Hawley and Marshall to return all HALLPAC campaign contributions."