Hawley calls for ethical investigation into Dems who filed complaint against him

Senator Josh Hawley in two letters sent on Monday criticized Democratic senators who filed an ethical complaint against him and Senator Ted Cruz because of his objections to the Electoral College on January 6 and continued to defend his decision to challenge the votes during the joint session to certify President Biden’s victory on November 3.

In one of the letters, Hawley, R-Mo., Called on the Senate Ethics Committee to investigate the six Democrats who filed the complaint against him and Cruz, R-Texas, accusing the senators of filing “an unprecedented frivolous ethical complaint and improper … [w]without citing any relevant evidence or offering any argument in good faith. “

Hawley on Jan. 6 joined a House member’s objection to Pennsylvania Electoral College votes, prompting two hours of debate in each chamber about the validity of the ticket and votes on whether Congress should reject it. Cruz opposed Arizona voters.

HAWLEY RIPS SENATE DEMOCRATS FOR COMPLAINING ETHICS, SAYS THAT THEY ARE ‘TRYING TO SILENCE DISSENCE’

“The complaint against me does not suggest that my objection to Pennsylvania’s electoral votes was legally inappropriate. No senator could make such a suggestion with a serious face. Federal law expressly authorizes senators to object that a state’s electoral votes were not ‘given. regularly ‘”Hawley says in his letter to the Ethics Committee. “Democrats have repeatedly invoked this provision. In fact, in every presidential election since 2000 that a Republican has won, Democrats have sought to oppose electoral votes based on that, regardless of whether there is a good faith basis for such objections.”

Hawley also defended his decision to oppose Pennsylvania’s electoral votes because they have a “strong legal base”.

The Democrats who filed the ethics complaint against Cruz and Hawley were Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Ore .; Sheldon Whitehouse, DR.I; Tina Smith, D-Minn .; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; Hirono corn, D-Hawaii, Tim Kaine, D-Va. And Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio.

The objection followed the January 6 invasion of the Capitol by a pro-Trump crowd, after former President Donald Trump held a fiery rally in Washington, DC, earlier in the day.

The crowd, which before the Hawley attack was caught in a photo raising its fist in an apparent gesture of solidarity, forced hundreds of lawmakers and former Vice President Pence to hide, ransacked the building and was the worst usurpation in an institution government since then the British burned the Capitol during the War of 1812.

Hawley and Cruz condemned the violence, as did Trump. But the former president was impeached in the House of Representatives for his role in fanning the crowd. The ethics complaint against Hawley and Cruz, however, says Cruz and Hawley “lent legitimacy to President Trump’s false statements” and “to the mafia cause”.

LIVE UPDATES: INCREASED NUMBER OF SENATORS GOP OPPOSE TRUMP IMPEACHMENT TRIAL

“While it was the right of senators to object to voters, the conduct of Senators Cruz and Hawley … went beyond that. Both senators announced their intention to oppose voters after baseless allegations of electoral fraud, which based on information and belief they they knew to be unfounded, led to threats of violence, “said the Democrats’ letter. “Their actions lend credit to the rebels’ cause and set the stage for future violence. And both senators used their objections to raise political funds.”

The Democrats’ complaint also raised questions about whether there was “communication or coordination between Sens. Hawley and Cruz and the rally organizers.”

Hawley, an incendiary senator who enthusiastically embraced Trump’s type of populism and is considered a potential candidate for the presidency in 2024, criticized Democrats on this specific charge. He said the complaint was an “overtly partisan exercise” and called for an ethical investigation in the Democrats who filed the complaint against him and Cruz.

“The most surprising thing is that the Democrats who filed the complaint against me imply – without any evidence – that my team or I may have conspired with the criminals who invaded the Capitol,” said Hawley. “In most jurisdictions, such statements would constitute defamation per se and, if offered during the debate, would constitute a clear violation of Senate Rule XIX.2.”

Hawley specifically asked the Ethics Committee to investigate whether the seven Democrats had coordinated with a handful of outside groups, the Democratic leadership, including the Biden administration, and whether or not they had been in contact with lobbyists and corporations who said they would not do so anymore. donate to Hawley or Cruz.

There is no evidence in Hawley’s letter for any of these charges, although some outside groups have very quick public responses created after the Democrats’ complaint against Hawley and Cruz was launched.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Hawley also sent a letter directly to the Democrats who filed the complaint against him, accusing them of adopting an “agreed-upon crowd mentality that you should cancel anyone who disagrees with your views.” He said the charge that he and Cruz may have worked with the rebels was “shamefully false. And you know it is.”

“In light of the shameful abuse of the ethics process in which you deliberately became involved, I considered whether you should ask for your resignation or be expelled from the Senate,” said Hawley. “But I still believe in the First Amendment, which the United States Supreme Court has said repeatedly that it protects even ‘offensive’ and malicious speech, like yours.”

He added: “I will not be intimidated by your efforts to silence me, the people of my state will not be intimidated by you and you should be ashamed of having abused your office and the Senate so seriously.”

Chad Pergram of Fox News contributed to this report.