Sen. Josh Hawley, Missouri Republican, accused “Antifa scumbags” of terrorizing his wife and newborn baby with a noisy protest outside his home Monday night over his plan to object to the Electoral College certification.
“Tonight while I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel,” Mr. Hawley tweeted. “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.”
Shut Down DC claimed responsibility for the protest on its Facebook page and website, describing the event as an “hourlong vigil at the Virginia home of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) to demand that he drop his baseless protestation of the 2020 presidential election results.”
A 51-minute video posted on the website showed a dozen people chanting noisily through bullhorns at night outside a home in a residential neighborhood. Some protesters held signs and candles.
Tonight while I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel. 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
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 5, 2021
Four people walked up to the front door of the home, although it was unclear from the video what they were doing. Shut Down DC said the activists “delivered a copy of the U.S. Constitution to Hawley’s door.”
“Now ’vigil’ means screaming threats through bullhorns, vandalizing property, pounding on the doors of homes and terrorizing innocent people and children,” Mr. Hawley said.
The protesters also chanted “Shame! Shame on Hawley!” and “Biden, Harris have won!” and wrote anti-Trump chalk messages on the sidewalk in front of the home.
At one point, a neighbor approached the crowd and asked, “Why are you disturbing our neighborhood?” Police arrived at 7:45 p.m., according to Shut Down DC.
Mr. Hawley has said that he will vote to object to the presidential certification when it goes before a joint session of Congress on Wednesday, citing election irregularities.
“I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws,” Mr. Hawley said in a statement last week. “And I cannot vote to certify without pointing out the unprecedented effort of mega-corporations, including Facebook and Twitter, to interfere in this election, in support of Joe Biden.”
A dozen Senate Republicans and dozens of House Republicans have said they will vote to object to the certification. President-elect Joseph R. Biden is scheduled to be inaugurated on Jan. 20.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.
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