Josh Hawley Dubbed 'Laughingstock' by Missouri Newspaper Over Jan. 6 Video

A prominent Missouri newspaper took aim at the midwestern state's Senator Josh Hawley, a Republican, dubbing him a "laughingstock" after the House select committee investigating the January 6, 2021, attack against the U.S. Capitol on Thursday evening played a clip of him running as the riot unfolded.

Hawley was captured in photos raising a fist in approval of supporters of former President Donald Trump who went on to violently attack the federal legislative branch last year. The Missouri senator also led the Senate GOP effort to object to President Joe Biden's Electoral College victories in key swing states, giving credence to Trump's misinformation that the 2020 election was "rigged" or "stolen."

In a prime-time televised hearing on Thursday, the House select committee played a clip of Hawley running to escape as the rioters he'd previously cheered on attacked the Capitol on January 6. The room where the hearing was held erupted in laughter after the brief clip was played, with many on social media mocking the Republican lawmaker as well.

The editorial board of Missouri newspaper The Kansas City Star on Friday published an opinion article titled "Fist pumper to fleeing coward: Jan. 6 video shows Missouri who Josh Hawley really is."

"Josh Hawley is a laughingstock," the first line of the editorial said, going on to overview the video that was played in the January 6 hearing. It reported how the hearing chamber broke out in laughter at the images on the screen.

"A signature Hawley issue is masculinity—as in, how little of it American men seem to have these days. It's a frequent topic in his speeches and on his podcast, where 'the left-wing attack on manhood' is a dire threat to our society. Regnery Publishing is set to release his book 'Manhood: The Masculine Virtues America Needs' next year. Twitter didn't see much bravado as he ran from the mob...," the editorial continued.

The Kansas City Star's editorial board has repeatedly criticized Hawley since January 6. Directly after the Capitol violence unfolded, the newspaper published an article contending that the Republican senator had "blood on his hands in Capitol coup attempt." The editorial board reiterated that view in its Friday editorial, pointing out that Hawley has never apologized.

"Shame, clearly, is not a motivating factor for any number of Republicans still caught up in Trumpworld. Hawley has never apologized for attempting to reinstall a man who everyone around him knew had lost the election, as witness testimony continues to confirm. Surely the Yale and Stanford grad isn't gullible enough to believe the craven lies about tampering with voting machines and dead people casting ballots that ooze through social media," the editorial board wrote.

Newsweek reached out to Hawley's spokespeople for comment.

Representative Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican who serves on the House select committee, took aim at the Missouri senator in a Friday morning Twitter post.

"Worth remembering: Josh Hawley was the first senator to say he would object to the electoral college, causing a cascade of Ted Cruz-es. There would not have been as much oxygen to trumps coup plan without Fistpump McRunpants," Kinzinger wrote.

Former Washington, D.C., police officer Michael Fanone, who was violently assaulted by Trump supporters at the Capitol on January 6, described Hawley as "a b**ch" to a Politico reporter after the Thursday evening hearing.

"The first thoughts that popped into my mind was Josh Hawley is a b**ch and he ran like a b**ch," Fanone said. The former police officer previously backed Trump and voted for him in 2016 but has become staunchly critical of the former president and his allies in the aftermath of the January 6 attack.

Despite Trump's and his allies' claims, no evidence has emerged corroborating the conspiracy theory that the 2020 election was fraudulent. To the contrary, dozens of election challenge lawsuits failed in state and federal courts prior to January 6. Even judges appointed by Trump dismissed the lawsuits. Furthermore, audits and recounts—including in areas where the election was overseen by pro-Trump Republicans—reaffirmed Biden's victory.

Multiple top former Trump administration officials have testified before the House select committee to confirm that the former president was told repeatedly that the claims of widespread voter fraud and rigged voting machines did not have merit. Former Attorney General William Barr, who was widely viewed as one of Trump's most loyal Cabinet members, has said repeatedly that the claims are "bulls**t."

"I thought, boy, if he really believes this stuff, he has lost contact with—he's become detached from reality if he really believes this stuff," Barr testified before the House select committee.