‘Josh Hawley running away to a variety of soundtracks’: Social media reacts to Jan. 6 hearing

Hannah Wise

Video of U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, fleeing the Senate Chamber as the U.S. Capitol was being overrun by a mob of Trump supporters ricocheted across social media on Thursday evening.

The House of Representatives committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol showed the footage to serve as a rebuke to the image Hawley projected that day, when he was captured in a photograph confidently raising his fist to protesters who would later violently break into the U.S. Capitol building.

The hearing, broadcast in prime time, marked the first time Hawley has been publicly mentioned in the House investigation.

Twitter did what Twitter does — politicians, comedians, journalists and Missourians shared their gut reactions to the footage, insights about Hawley and many memes. Here’s a roundup of some of the immediate reactions to the hearing:

Michael Beschloss, American historian specializing in the U.S. presidency:

Lucas Kunce, Democratic candidate for Missouri’s U.S. Senate seat:

The Lincoln Project, a Republican PAC:

Journalist Dan Rather:

Actor Jon Cryer:

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