Laughter erupted as January 6 committee was shown a video of Republican Josh Hawley running through the Capitol to flee rioters after he riled them up before the Capitol riots.
Assembled lawmakers and witnesses guffawed loudly as the farcical clip was played at the hearing Wednesday evening during its final day of evidence.
It showed a suited Hawley rushing gazelle-like out into a corridor on January 6, 2021, before disappearing down an escalator to safety.
Hawley fled even though he’d helped stoke the crowd earlier the very same day.
The January 6 committee shared an image of the Missouri pro-Trump senator outside the Capitol that day pumping his fist at the far-right rioters as he walked toward the joint Congress session to certify the vote.
“As you can see in this photo, he raised his fist in solidarity with the protesters already amassing at the security gates” Virginia Representative Elaine Luria said on Thursday.
She also said the committee had spoken to a Capitol Police officer about the moment, and she had told them it “bothered her greatly” to see the politician “riling up the crowd”.
Laughter erupted as the January 6 committee showed a video of Hawley springing through the Capitol to get away from the rioters as they breached the Capitol.
It bothered her greatly because he was doing it in a safe space, protected by the officers and the barriers, Luria said on Thursday.
Hawley was one the Republicans who opposed certifying Biden as president, claiming voter fraud.
Following the insurrection, Simon & Schuster dropped Hawley’s then-upcoming book “The Tyranny of Big Tech” citing it couldn’t ‘support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.
Hawley said the decision was made by a “woke mob” and defended his action as “representing my constituents”.