Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) invoked the ironclad “I know you are, but what am I?” defense on Monday with a formal demand for an ethics investigation into the Democratic senators who requested an investigation into his attempt to overturn the 2020 election.
In a complaint to the Senate Committee on Ethics that was saturated with outrage and self-victimization, Hawley accused Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Tina Smith (D-MN), Mazie Hirono (D-HI), Sherrod Brown (D-OH), Ron Wyden (D-OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and Tim Kaine (D-VA) of engaging in “improper conduct” by “knowingly submitting a frivolous complaint to accomplish impermissible partisan purposes.”
“The Senate cannot function if its neutral administrative processes are hijacked for bad-faith ends, but that is precisely what is occurring here,” wrote Hawley, who had voted to throw out electors from swing states that went to Joe Biden during what was supposed to be Congress’ procedural ratification of the election results.
Hawley also penned an irony-free letter to the Democrats complaining that their request was “utterly antithetical to our democracy.”
“This line of thinking is, however, sadly consistent with the new woke-mob mentality that you should cancel anyone who disagrees with your views,” the Republican wrote. “Your baseless allegations are in that sense unfortunately typical of today’s leftwing cancel culture, a culture that tramples on the democratic traditions that left and right once defended together.”
Hawley’s complaint and supplemental screed to his Democratic colleagues is drawn directly out of the Republican senator’s claim of victimhood at the hands of a “woke mob” in response to the backlash against his efforts to boost President Donald Trump’s lies about the election, which eventually led to a violent siege of the Capitol building.
The day before Hawley filed the complaint, the New York Post had published his column that bemoaned “the muzzling of America,” which was featured on the front page.
“It’s time to stand up against the muzzling of America,” the senator declared while tweeting the column to his nearly 574,000 followers.
