“Senator Josh Hawley had to go, too,” Luria said. “Earlier that afternoon, before the joint session began, he walked the east front of the Capitol.” “As you can see in this photo, he raised his fist in solidarity with the protesters who were already gathered at the security gates,” he added, showing the iconic photo of Hawley on the morning of January 6. “We spoke to the Capitol Police officer who was out there at the time. She told us that Senator Hawley’s gesture stirred up the crowd and made her very upset because he did it in a safe area, protected from officers and barriers.” Then came the twist. “Later that day, Senator Hawley fled after the protesters he helped instigate stormed the Capitol,” Luria said, before adding, “See for yourself.” With that, the committee room was treated to slow-motion security camera footage of Hawley running on screen to avoid the rioters who had forced their way into his safe space. Multiple reporters reported that Hawley’s video was met with “loud laughter” from those watching inside the hearing room. “It was a much-needed moment of levity in a room that was increasingly (reasonably) tense and dark,” tweeted MSNBC’s Ali Vitali. “Think about what we’ve seen,” Luria concluded. “Unmistakable violence on Capitol Hill, Vice President safely evacuated by Secret Service, Senators running down Senate corridors to escape mob. As commander in chief, President Trump had an oath and commitment to protect Capitol Hill.” But as we now know from Thursday’s deposition, he actively chose not to.
