KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A national hotel chain is the latest company to cancel events connected to Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, after his decision to object to certifying the results of the 2020 presidential election in the face of the Jan. 6 riots at the U.S. Capitol.
Loews Hotels said in a statement on Saturday that a February event by the Fighting for Missouri political action committee will no longer take place at its Orlando location “or at any other Loews Hotel.” The group had planned to host a fundraiser at the hotel.
“Loews Hotels & Co is horrified and opposed to the January 6th events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited those actions,” the statement said.
Hawley issued the following statement regarding the cancellation of the February event.
“If these corporations don’t want conservatives to speak, they should just be honest about it," Hawley said. "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.”
We are horrified and opposed to the events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited the actions. 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.
— Loews Hotels (@Loews_Hotels) January 16, 2021
In November, the Hawley-affiliated group booked an event at Loews Portofino Bay Hotel.
Loews is the latest company to publicly rebuke Hawley. Last week, Kansas City-based Hallmark asked Hawley to return $3,000 it had recently made to Hawley. A publisher also canceled a book deal it had struck with Hawley following the riots.
Hawley, one of President Donald Trump's strongest supporters in the Senate, has supported Trump's push to overturn the results of the 2020 election. Prior to a Jan. 6 joint session of Congress, Hawley promised to raise objections to the certification.
As Congress debated objections, thousands of Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol, causing lawmakers to flee their chambers and shelter in secure locations. Many of the rioters called for lawmakers to be killed for not attempting to overturn the election, including Vice President Mike Pence.
Following the riots, Hawley still voted against certifying election results in Pennsylvania, maintaining that the state's Supreme Court illegally expanded mail-in voting the state.
This story was originally published by Kari Wiliams on KSHB in Kansas City.