- Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez slammed Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday evening after he grumbled over a canceled book deal, and called for his expulsion from the Senate.
- “Your actions fueled a riot and you fundraised in the chaos,” the New York congresswoman said. “Yet here you are crying over a book deal. You should be expelled.”
- Publisher Simon & Schuster announced earlier Thursday that it would cancel releasing an upcoming book by Hawley due to his commitment to object to the electoral process.
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Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez blasted Sen. Josh Hawley on Thursday evening after he fussed over a canceled book deal, and repeated calls for his expulsion from the Senate.
“You fist-pumped insurrectionists and baselessly attacked our elections. Your actions fueled a riot and you fundraised in the chaos. Five people are dead,” the New York congresswoman tweeted. “Even your GOP colleagues have distanced from your acts.”
“Yet here you are crying over a book deal,” she added. “You should be expelled.”
Her comments add to a wave of backlash Hawley is experiencing after he objected to the 2020 election certification, which confirmed President-elect Joe Biden’s victory. Ocasio-Cortez’s tweet is in response to a statement Hawley issued earlier Thursday, after publisher Simon & Schuster announced that it would be canceling the release of his upcoming book over what it described as “his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.”
“Simon & Schuster is canceling my contract because I was representing my constituents, leading a debate on the Senate floor on voter integrity, which they have now decided to redefine as sedition,” Hawley replied in a statement. “This is the Left looking to cancel everyone they don’t approve of.”
Hawley, a Missouri Republican, became the first senator last month to announce that he would object to the Electoral College vote. A close ally of President Donald Trump, the senator helped lead the GOP election challenge in Congress, along with Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, elevating false claims pushed by the president. There was no evidence of widespread voter fraud or irregularities in the 2020 race.
Hawley was pictured raising his fist in solidarity with pro-Trump mobs gathered outside of the US Capitol on Wednesday, then went into session to object to the electoral process.
When Congress reconvened to complete the election certification after the riots, which have left Washington and the nation reeling, Hawley continued to object to the process, as well as Cruz.
A slate of lawmakers, including Ocasio-Cortez, have pinned part of the blame for the breach on Hawley and Cruz. Also on Thursday, the progressive Democrat called for both senators to accept responsibility in the siege and resign as elected officials.
Hawley has not responded publicly to Ocasio-Cortez, and did not immediately respond to Insider’s request for comment. Cruz swiftly accused the congresswoman of lying.
“Leading a debate in the Senate on ensuring election integrity is doing our jobs, and it’s in no way responsible for the despicable terrorists who attacked the Capitol yesterday,” he said. “And sorry, I ain’t going anywhere.”
Republicans, too, are criticizing the pair of senators for their election challenge. Former Sen. John Danforth, who supported Hawley’s 2018 Senate run, called it the “worst mistake I ever made in my life” on Thursday.
