The Show Me State is giving new meaning to Senate race.
A rare moment of humor in Thursday’s House Select Committee hearing investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection featured Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley cheering on an angry mob that was about to storm the Capitol, then running for his life once safely inside the building. In recognition of that shameful moment, the Democratic Party in the senator’s home state is advertising a Hawlin’ Hawley 5K fundraising race.
The 42-year-old politician has traded off of images of his holding up a single fist while cheering-on Donald Trump fanatics shortly before they attacked law enforcement officers and forced their way into the Capitol to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s electoral victory. That includes selling a $20 mug of Hawley holding up his fist over the caption “Show-Me Strong!”
After the Select Committee showed Hawley run, the Yale Law School graduate became a punchline.
Numerous social media users posted footage of Hawley’s flight accompanied by music including the “Chariots of Fire” soundtrack by Vangelis and the wacky theme song from “The Benny Hill Show.”
Retired anchorman Dan Rather tweeted “Run Hawley Run” in reference to the Tom Hanks movie “Forrest Gump.”
Capitol Hill police officer Michael Fanone, who was nearly killed by Trump loyalists on Jan. 6, acknowledged that attendees at the day’s hearing got a laugh out of Hawley’s hypocrisy, but he found nothing funny about the senator’s congressional cowardice.
“He ran like a b—,” Fanone told Politico.
Hawley, “in a safe space, protected by the officers and the barriers,” according to one police officer, got Trump supporters outside the Capitol worked-up while personally being ushered to safety by security.
“The fist pump combined with what he did in the immediate aftermath just shows the true character or lack thereof,” Fanone said. “I’m not going to fault people finding it humorous but that p—es me off. That guy is a clown.”
He blasted Hawley as a “caricature” who plays a tough guy on TV, but is something else in reality. Fanone said politicians like Hawley lack “character,” “honor” and “integrity.”
It turns out Hawley may be neither a fighter or a runner. Sports site SB Nation calculated at he speed the senator ran, he would have completed a 40-yard dash in a modest 7.2 seconds. In 2021, Detroit sports reporter Tori Petry ran a 40-yard dash in 5.98 seconds while wearing heels.
While other news networks aired Thursday night’s hearing live, Hawley ran to Fox News, which has all but ignored the congressional committee’s findings.
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