Loews Hotels Drops Fundraiser For Sen. Josh Hawley After Capitol Riot

Loews Hotels says it will no longer allow a fundraiser for Sen. Josh Hawley scheduled for February to be held at one of its hotels. The move is the latest fallout from the Missouri Republican's widely criticized decision to object to Electoral College results during Congress' certification of President-elect Joe Biden's win.

"We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions," the company said Saturday in a statement on Twitter. "In light of those events and for the safety of our guests and team members, we have informed the host of the Feb. fundraiser that it will no longer be held at Loews Hotels."

The fundraiser was organized by a political action committee, Fighting for Missouri, and was scheduled to take place Feb. 12 to 15 in Orlando, Fla., at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando. A flyer for the event promised a "fun-filled-family-friendly" time, with tickets ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on group size.

Hawley, an ally of President Trump, has continued to receive heavy backlash for his decision to object to Electoral College results during Congress' certification of the electoral votes, after a mob of pro-Trump extremists stormed the U.S. Capitol in what became a deadly insurrection.

Simon & Schuster announced on Jan. 7 that it had canceled the publication of Hawley's book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, which was slated for a June release. The publishing company said it could not support Hawley "after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom."

The editorial boards from two of the largest newspapers in his home state, The Kansas City Star and the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, have called for Hawley to resign. The Star went so far as to say Hawley, "has blood on his hands" and is the second-most-culpable person for the attacks.

Hawley was photographed greeting protesters outside the Capitol with a raised fist in an apparent show of solidarity before the riots began. He has defended his decision to object to Electoral College results.

Fellow Republicans and even past mentors have spoken out against Hawley and have expressed their regret in prior support for him.

The Lincoln Project, another PAC run by top Republican strategists, has called Hawley "public enemy No. 1." Former GOP Sen. John Danforth, a mentor of Hawley's, has said that recruiting Hawley for a U.S. Senate run and supporting him was the "biggest mistake I've ever made."

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.