David Humphreys, a Joplin, Mo., businessman and major donor to Sen. Josh Hawley’s (R-Mo.) first campaign, disavowed him in a statement released Thursday, calling the lawmaker a “political opportunist.”
“Hawley should be censured by his Senate colleagues for his actions which have undermined a peaceful transition of power and for provoking yesterday’s riots in our nation’s capital,” wrote Humphreys. “We owe it to our children and grandchildren to protect our country and its Constitutional underpinnings.”
Hawley was interrupted during a Senate debate Wednesday when pro-Trump rioters broke into the Capitol building, causing media, lawmakers and staffers to evacuate. Though many other Republican senators withdrew their opposition to the election results following the violence, Hawley maintained his opposition once the Capitol was secured.
As the Missouri Independent reports, Humphreys, the CEO of Tamko Building Products, has donated millions to Republican campaigns over the years. In 2018, Humphreys donated nearly $2 million to independent groups supporting Hawley.
Humphreys noted in his statement that he had once spoken of his opposition to President Trump in a New York Times article, saying at the time, “At some point, you have to look in the mirror and recognize that you cannot possibly justify support for Trump to your children.”
“I need to say the same about Missouri’s U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley, who has shown his true colors as an anti-democracy populist by supporting Trump’s false claim of a ‘stolen election,'” Humphrey’s added in his Thursday statement. “Hawley’s irresponsible, inflammatory, and dangerous tactics have incited violence and further discord across America. And he has now revealed himself as a political opportunist willing to subvert the Constitution and the ideals of the nation he swore to uphold.”
Hawley has faced widespread condemnation for opposing the results of the presidential election. Many have said Hawley’s opposition and the multiple disputed claims he spread on election fraud contributed to the violence that overtook the Capitol on Wednesday.
His mentor, former Sen. Jack Danforth (R-Mo.), said on Thursday, “Supporting Josh and trying so hard to get him elected to the Senate was the worst mistake I ever made in my life.”
Publishing company Simon & Schuster announced on Thursday that it was canceling Hawley’s book.
“After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, DC, Simon & Schuster has decided to cancel the publication of Sen. Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book,” the company said in a statement.