AFGE members held a protest in front of Senator Josh Hawley’s district office in St. Louis, calling for the senator’s resignation following his encouragement and incitement of a pro-Trump, anti-democracy assault on the U.S. Capitol that resulted in the deaths of six Americans.
“This is a man who has deep knowledge of the law. He’s a Yale Law School grad. He knows what is lawful and what is unlawful. And he threw his support – very public fist of support – behind those with no respect for the law,” AFGE President Everett Kelley said to the crowd outside Hawley’s St. Louis district office earlier today. “Josh Hawley has blood on his hands, and he is entirely and completely unrepentant. He is not fit to represent the good people of Missouri because he has chosen to instead represent the worst of America – the violent, fascist, thugs who desecrated our democracy on January 6 and every day since.”
AFGE was joined by several advocacy groups including St. Louis County NAACP, St. Louis Central Labor Council (AFL-CIO), St. Louis Jobs with Justice, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists - St. Louis Chapter, RESIST St. Louis, and many others.
“We are protesting to protect our democracy and hold our elected officials accountable. We’re here to let it be known that Josh Hawley does not speak for us,” said AFGE Local 2192 President Keena Smith, representing Veterans Benefit administration employees in St. Louis. “Josh Hawley has stated that he ‘acted in the interests of Missourians.’ This is 100 percent untrue. He acted in the interests of himself. This was his shot to cozy up to Trump’s base ahead of his 2024 presidential run. He is a selfish man who exploited the lies of Donald Trump and he must resign now.”
The deadly attack on the U.S. Capitol began as a Trump rally held in support of efforts by Hawley and others to disrupt the certification of the Electoral College process through baseless objections.
Senator Hawley was a staunch supporter of the efforts to overturn a legitimate, democratic election and was extremely vocal about his decision to object during the certification process, citing baseless and false allegations aimed at creating confusion and division among the American people. He was photographed outside of the Capitol with his fist in the air, showing solidarity with the perpetrators before violence erupted.
The editorial board of the Kansas City Star, his hometown newspaper, said that Hawley “has blood on his hands.”
“No one other than President Donald Trump himself is more responsible for Wednesday’s coup attempt at the U.S. Capitol than one Joshua David Hawley, the 41-year-old junior senator from Missouri, who put out a fundraising appeal while the siege was underway,” said the paper. “No longer can it be asked, as George Will did recently of Hawley, “Has there ever been such a high ratio of ambition to accomplishment?” Hawley’s actions in the last week had such impact that he deserves an impressive share of the blame for the blood that’s been shed.”
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