Republican Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley responded to a CNN reporter’s question Wednesday about a viral video of him running through the U.S. Capitol building during the Jan. 6 riot.
CNN Congressional Reporter Manu Raju asked Hawley about the video of him fleeing the Capitol after raising his fist to a crowd of Trump supporters that morning. The video was played at a hearing of the January 6 committee to peels of laughter from individuals in the room.
“What about the video, the fact that they did release that video and showed you running. I mean what was your reaction to that?”
“This is just an attempt to troll,” Hawley responded. “And listen, I don’t regret anything I did on that day. And 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.”
A US Capitol Police Officer told Jan. 6 committee that Josh Hawley “riled up” the crowd before the riot began.
Critics say he gave false hope to the rioters that the results could be overturned.Asked Hawley about J6 revelations:
“I don’t regret anything I did that day.” pic.twitter.com/8QYBWVAJIC— Manu Raju (@mkraju) July 27, 2022
Raju also asked Hawley if he regretted raising his fist to the crowd of Trump supporters, an action that critics say expressed solidarity with the rioting that day. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele said the raised fist made Hawley Donald Trump’s “symbol of this sedition.” New York City mayor Bill DeBlasio claimed Hawley “sparked a violent incident that endangered lives and threatened the sanctity of our democracy.” (RELATED: We Asked Every Jan. 6 Committee Member When They’d Hold Hearings On The 2020 Riots. No One Had An Answer)
“The January 6 committee said that they talked to a Capitol Police officer who said when you made that fist pump you riled up the crowd. Do you regret that fist pump because of that?” Raju asked.
“No I don’t. I don’t regret anything I did on that day,” Hawley responded. “And you know it’s a privilege to be attacked by the January 6 Committee. And I wanna say thank you for all the help with my fundraising it’s been tremendous.”
Hawley objected to the certification of the 2020 election results in January 2021. The senator cited concerns about the way the election was conducted in certain states while announcing his intent to object to the certification in December 2020.