On Monday, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, of Missouri, filed a counter-complaint against seven Democratic senators who asked the Ethics Committee to investigate him over his role in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol earlier this month. Hawley Claims the senators “engaged in improper conduct” after they called him out for peddling unfounded claims of voter fraud prior to the riot.
According to Politico, Hawley sent a letter on Monday to Sens. James Lankford (R-Okla.) and Chris Coons (D-Del.) arguing that the seven senators who submitted an ethics complaint against Hawley and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) last week issued a “frivolous complaint to accomplish impermissible partisan purposes.”
“These Senators have engaged in improper conduct that may reflect upon the Senate. The Committee should discipline these Members to ensure that the Senate’s ethics process is not weaponized for rank partisan purposes,” he added.
Hawley’s complaint comes as he faces fierce criticism for his actions on Jan. 6 — including calls for him to resign or be expelled from the Senate — after he and Cruz led the challenges against Pennsylvania’s and Arizona’s election results, respectively.
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Democratic Sens. Sheldon Whitehouse (R.I.), Ron Wyden (Ore.), Tina Smith (Minn.), Richard Blumenthal (Conn.), Mazie Hirono (Hawaii), Tim Kaine (Va.) and Sherrod Brown (Ohio) last week sent a complaint to the Ethics Committee asking that it investigate Hawley and Cruz and “offer recommendations for strong disciplinary action, including up to expulsion or censure, if warranted by the facts uncovered.”
