Watch: Josh Hawley Frantically Fled From the Jan. 6 Riot He Helped Stoke

The Jan. 6 committee released footage on Thursday of Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) fleeing from violent protesters during the Jan. 6 riot inside the Capitol. Hawley, one of the Republican senators who led the effort to vote against certifying the election results, famously raised a fist in solidarity with the mob as it stormed the building.

In the video played Thursday, Hawley can be seen sprinting down a hallway and rushing down a set of escalators to exit the Capitol after an armed mob entered the building to interrupt the congressional certification of the Electoral College vote that would certify Joe Biden as president elect. 

Earlier that day Hawley had saluted the gathering crowd of protesters while entering the Capitol. A Capitol Police Officer testified that Hawley’s gesture “riled up the crowd” and that the move “bothered her” as Hawley was doing so from the safety of an area protected by a police barricade. 

During the assault, security officials scrambled to evacuate lawmakers. A White House security official testified to the Jan. 6 committee that members of former Vice President Pence’s security detail were calling their families to “say goodbye” during the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.

In their final hearing before an extended recess, the committee discussed the behavior of Republican lawmakers, who had encouraged former President Trump’s attempts to undermine the results of the 2020 election during the attempt by an armed mob to stop the congressional certification of the electoral college vote. The committee will resume holding public hearings in September in order to share new evidence gathered by the investigation.

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