ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) – Loews Hotels said on Saturday it canceled an upcoming fundraiser for US Senator Josh Hawley, the last straw for the Republican legislator after the US Capitol uprising.
The Republican senator from Missouri helped stage an Electoral College challenge on the day that supporters of President Donald Trump invaded the U.S. Capitol because of unfounded claims that Trump had won the November presidential election.
“We are horrified and oppose events at Capitol and all those who supported and encouraged the actions,” according to a hotel statement on Twitter. “In light of these events and for the safety of our guests and staff members, we inform the host of the February fundraiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels.”
The event was scheduled for February at the Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando, organized by the political committee affiliated with Hawley, Fighting for Missouri, according to the Orlando Sentinel.
Hawley, who is facing declining support from longtime supporters and donors, was the first senator to announce a challenge to the results of the Electoral College, and his challenge continued even after the US Capitol rebellion on January 6. Concerns also arose after a picture of Hawley emerged greeting protesters outside the Capitol with a fist raised, although this was before the crowd invaded the building.
Apart from Trump himself, no politician has suffered the consequences like Hawley. Several donors withdrew financial support. The Lincoln Project, which opposes Trump, said it would take out full-page newspaper ads calling its remaining donors.
Hawley’s office released a statement on Saturday stating that he was not intimidated by the reaction.
“If these corporations don’t want conservatives to speak, they should be honest about it. But equating the leadership of a debate in the Senate floor with inciting violence is a lie and is dangerous. I will not be dissuaded from representing my constituents and I will not bow down to corporate leftist pressure, ”he said.
Earlier in the week, Hawley also defended himself in a newspaper column accusing the media and the “Washington system” of deceiving Americans by making him call him “insurrectional”.
Meanwhile, former employees of Claire McCaskill, the Democrat Hawley ousted to win the seat, were involved in launching a political action committee that started running ads on Friday blaming Hawley for inciting the crowd to revolt, reports the The Kansas City Star.
Megan Brengarth, who describes herself as a former McCaskill organizer, is treasurer of the new PAC Just Oust Seditious Hacks and director of the political consulting firm that organized the PAC. Other former employees involved include Thomas Hatfield, who tweeted that he was “excited to be a part of this”.
On its website, the new PAC calls Hawley and other officials who supported unfounded allegations of electoral fraud in the presidential election of “traitors”.
McCaskill tweeted that he had no involvement with PAC, but encouraged people to donate, writing that their money “will not be wasted”.
Hawley’s spokeswoman, Kelli Ford, rejected the effort in a statement on Friday, saying McCaskill and his team “will be as effective with this campaign as they were with the previous one.”