Jan 6 (Reuters) – U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican at the forefront of a bid to block congressional certification of the Electoral College vote, is largely to blame for \u201cinspiring one of the most heartbreaking days in modern American history,\u201d his home-state newspaper\u2019s editorial board wrote.<\/p>\n
The scathing editorial was published on Wednesday on the home page of the Kansas City Star under the headline: \u201cAssault on democracy: Sen. Josh Hawley has blood on his hands in Capitol coup attempt.\u201d<\/p>\n
The editorial went on to say: \u201cNo one other than President Donald Trump himself is more responsible\u201d for the violence that ensued when a \u201cmob\u201d of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol building demanding his re-election defeat in November be overturned. Four people died, including a women shot to death, during the pandemonium.<\/p>\n
The siege occurred as Congress debated objections raised by a group of Republican senators and members of the House ofRepresentatives to an official tally of electoral votes that decided Democrat Joe Biden as the winner of November\u2019s presidential race.<\/p>\n
The attempt to overturn the election outcome faced virtually no chance of success, as it was clear from the outset that the objections would be overwhelmingly rejected, including by many in Trump\u2019s own party.<\/p>\n
The spectacle unfolded after Trump and his allies in congress spent weeks stoking false claims that the election was stolen through widespread voter fraud, culminating with his call for supporters to march on the Capitol on Wednesday to press his grievances.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis revolt is the result, and if you didn\u2019t know this is where we\u2019ve been headed from the start, it\u2019s because you didna want to know,\u201d the editorial said, addressing Hawley directly.<\/p>\n
Hawley, 41, elected to the Senate in 2018, was the first member of his chamber to announce he would join an effort launched by House conservatives to challenge the normally ceremonial process of certifying the electoral vote tally.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat action, motivated by ambition, set off much that followed\u201d as Trump\u2019s allies rushed \u201cto put a show of loyalty to the president above all else,\u201d the editorial said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHawley\u2019s actions in the last week had such impact that he deserves an impressive share of the blame for the blood that been shed,\u201d the Star\u2019s board wrote.<\/p>\n
Taking to the Senate floor on Wednesday night, Hawleycondemned the day\u2019s violence but insisted that registering objections in Congress to the outcome of the presidential race was the \u201cappropriate means\u201d for addressing concerns of many voters about the integrity of the election.<\/p>\n
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