WASHINGTON, DC - JUNE 03: U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) questions former Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein at hearing of the Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill on June 03, 2020 in Washington, DC. The Republican-led panel is exploring issues raised with warrants issued in the FBI investigation, code named Crossfire Hurricane at the time, of Trump campaign officials in the 2016 presidential race. (Photo by Jim Lo Scalzo-Pool/Getty Images)
Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) was the lone senator to vote against the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which ended up passing with overwhelming bipartisan support, 94-1.
When asked about his opposition to the bill, Hawley responded, “I’m just concerned the bill is hugely broad, hugely open-ended. It’s just, you know, the ability and power to define crimes, to define incidents going forward, and collect all that data, it just seemed hugely, hugely overbroad.”
Despite Hawley’s criticism, the bill does not actually “define” any new crimes.
Though his comments may come as a shock to some, this 41-year-old senator is no stranger to controversy.
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Prior to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Hawley was one of the most vocal conservatives who spoke out about potential voter fraud without offering any evidence.
Hawley voted to acquit former President Donald Trump.
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