Sen. Josh Hawley responded Friday to mockery over a video showing him running through the Capitol to get away from rioters on Jan. 6, 2021, by promoting a coffee mug that bore an image of him raising his fist in solidarity with pro-Trump protesters earlier that day.
Hawley was called out during Thursday’s primetime hearing by Rep. Elaine Luria (D-Va.), who noted that the Missouri Republican had to escape the violent mob shortly after saluting some of its members earlier in the day.
“We spoke with a Capitol Police officer who was out there at the time,” Luria recalled. “She told us that Senator Hawley’s gesture riled up the crowd. And it bothered her greatly because he was doing it in a safe space protected by the officers and the barriers.
“Later that day,” Luria continued, “Senator Hawley fled after those protesters he helped to rile up stormed the Capitol. See for yourself.”
The slow-motion, four-second clip of Hawley’s dash was met with a roar of laughter from audience members and criticism from others watching.
“To be completely honest, give you my like, first thoughts that popped into my mind was Josh Hawley is a bitch and he ran like a bitch,” former Capitol Police officer Michael Fanone told Politico. “The fist pump combined with what he did in the immediate aftermath just shows the truth character — or lack thereof.”
Social media users were quick to turn the clip into a meme, with some setting Hawley’s running to the main theme from the film “Chariots of Fire.” Others compared Hawley to Forrest Gump.
Far-left Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) criticized Hawley for trying to monetize the incident.
“Remember: Even after running for his life, Sen. Hawley chose to fundraise off his encouraging and fist-pumping the violent mob, and even sold merchandise of himself doing so from then through *this year* – even after Politico, who later acquired the image, sent a cease and desist,” the Bronx and Queens lawmaker wrote on Twitter Thursday night.
Another Jan. 6 committee member, Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), trolled Hawley Friday morning by dubbing him “Fistpump McRunpants.”
“Worth remembering: Josh Hawley was the first senator to say he would object to the electoral college, causing a cascade of Ted Cruz-es. There would not have been as much oxygen to trumps [sic] coup plan without Fistpump McRunpants,” Kinzinger said.
Almost simultaneously, Hawley posted a kissing-face emoji along with a link to a WinRed fundraising page where supporters could purchase the mug, labeled “Show-Me Strong,” for $20.
Hawley has repeatedly fundraised off the phrase, a reference to Missouri’s moniker of “The Show-Me State.”
Hawley’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for further comment.
