A major hotel group has cancelled an upcoming fundraiser for US Senator Josh Hawley, in the latest fallout for the Republican after the US Capitol uprising.
The Missouri senator helped staged an Electoral College challenge the day President Donald Trump's supporters stormed the US Capitol over baseless claims that Trump had won the November presidential vote.
"We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions," according to a Twitter statement from Loews Hotels. "In light of those events and for the safety of our guests and team members, we have informed the host of the February fundraiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels."
Hawley, who is facing waning support from longtime backers and donors, was the first senator to announce a challenge to the Electoral College results, and his challenge continued even after the US Capitol riot on January 6. A photo emerged of Hawley greeting protesters outside the Capitol with a raised fist, before the mob overran the building.
Other than Trump himself, no politician has felt the backlash as Hawley has. Multiple donors have withdrawn financial support. The Trump-opposing Lincoln Project said it would take out full-page newspaper ads calling out his remaining donors.
Hawley's office released a statement Saturday declaring he was undeterred,
"If these corporations don't want conservatives to speak, they should just be honest about it. But to equate leading a debate on the floor of the Senate with inciting violence is a lie, and it's dangerous. I will not be deterred from representing my constituents and I will not bow to left wing corporate pressure," he said.
Earlier in the week, Hawley also defended himself in a newspaper column accusing the media and the "Washington establishment" of deceiving Americans into calling him an "insurrectionist."
Australian Associated Press
