Hotel chain cancels fundraiser for Josh Hawley, citing Capitol riot
Loews Hotel Group has canceled an upcoming fundraiser for Republican Sen. Josh Hawley, saying it’s opposed to “all who supported and incited” the deadly riot at the US Capitol.
“In light of recent events we have informed the host of this event that it will no longer be held at our hotel in Orlando or at any Loews Hotel for that matter,” Sarah Murov, a spokesperson for hotel group, said in a statement. “Loews Hotels & Co is horrified and opposed to the January 6th events at the Capitol and all who supported and incited those actions.”
The luxury hotel chain said in a statement the event had been planned by the Fighting for Missouri PAC for next month at the Loews Portofino Bay Hotel in Orlando, Florida. The Fighting For Missouri PAC did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.
In response, Hawley said in a statement provided by his office Sunday that he “will not bow to left wing corporate pressure.”
“If these corporations don’t want conservatives to speak, they should just be honest about it. But to equate leading a debate on the floor of the Senate with inciting violence is a lie, and it’s dangerous,” he said.
The Missouri senator has faced backlash in the days since January 6, when he and other Republicans in Congress raised objections to the counting of some Electoral College votes for Joe Biden, pushing false claims of voter fraud that were echoed by members of the mob incited by President Donald Trump.
Just one day after the riot took place, the book publisher Simon & Schuster announced that it would no longer publish a planned book by Hawley, a decision that also pointed to the riot, which left five dead, including a US Capitol police officer.
“After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, D.C., Simon & Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book,” the company said in a statement.
Hawley responded at the time by calling the move “Orwellian,” and claiming it was a “direct assault on the First Amendment.”
Several major companies also announced they were halting donations to Hawley and other Republicans who objected to the Electoral College votes, including Blue Cross Blue Shield and Citigroup.
The greeting card company Hallmark, which is based in Kansas City, Missouri, also said it was cutting ties with Hawley and requested that he and Kansas Sen. Roger Marshall return campaign contributions to its PAC.
HALLPAC “supports elected leaders from a wide variety of viewpoints — including Democrats, Republicans and Independents,” the company said. “Hallmark believes the peaceful transition of power is part of the bedrock of our democratic system, and we abhor violence of any kind. The recent actions of Senators Josh Hawley and Roger Marshall do not reflect our company’s values.”
