KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A day after the Electoral College certification process was delayed by a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol, Sen. Roger Marshall called for “a peaceful transition of power.”
Marshall, a Kansas Republican, was one of six senators along with Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri, who voted to object to certifying some state electors late Wednesday night after Congress resumed the certification process.
Meanwhile, Hawley has refused to back down and it cost him a book deal.
Hawley, who greeted protesters outside the Capitol with a raised fist as he arrived for the certification vote. was among the last senators to issue a statement Wednesday during the rioting. He remained silent until late Thursday afternoon despite numerous interview requests.
His office issued a statement shortly after 5 p.m. to 41 Action News that said: “I will never apologize for giving voice to the millions of Missourians and Americans who have concerns about the integrity of our elections. That’s my job, and I will keep doing it.”
Simon and Schuster, a book publisher that had been working with Hawley, announced Thursday that it was canceling publication of the senator's forthcoming book, The Tyranny of Big Tech "after witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, D.C."
"We did not come to this decision lightly," Simon and Schuster said in a statement announcing the decision. "As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: at the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom."
Hawley quickly fired back on Twitter, claiming it was an assault on free speech.
An online petition demanding Hawley’s resignation has already gained more than 19,000 signatures as of 4 p.m.
Four people died, including a San Diego woman who was killed by police inside the Capitol Building, during the hours-long siege.
Many senators who had planned to object to certifying electors from some states, including Arizona and Pennsylvania, reversed course after the lawlessness had been quelled.
But Marshall and Hawley weren’t among that group and instead joined four other Republican senators — Sens. Ted Cruz of Texas, Cindy Hyde-Smith of Mississippi, John Neely Kennedy of Louisiana and Tommy Tuberville of Alabama — in objecting to Arizona electors.
The two Kansas City-area senators also were part of a group that objected to Pennsylvania’s electors, drawing out the certification process further.
Marshall’s office released a statement Thursday declaring Joe Biden as President-elect.
“Joe Biden is the President-Elect and we must and will have a peaceful transition of power on January 20th,” Marshall said in a statement. “Anything less is not an option. To be explicitly clear — Joe Biden will be our next President.”
Marshall went on to say he was “sickened and angered” by the violence in the U.S. Capitol, calling for the prosecution of those who overran Capitol Police and stormed the seat of U.S. legislative power:
“To all those who destroyed any chance we had for peaceful discussion and debate on restoring and ensuring confidence in this and all future elections: Your actions were despicable and each of you — the rioters, vandals, and trespassers — should be prosecuted to the fullest extent.”
Marshall also thanked the law enforcement officers who helped “restore order” in the riot’s aftermath, which included a noose being displayed on Capitol grounds and at least one person carrying a Confederate flag through the Capitol's hallways.
Capitol Police Chief Steven A. Sund broke his silence Thursday morning with a statement about the “thousands of individuals involved in violent riotous actions” a day earlier in the U.S. Capitol.
He said officers were attacked with metals pipes, chemical irritants similar to pepper spray and “other weapons.”
Sund identified Ashli Babbitt as the woman shot and killed by a Capitol Police employee as rioters stormed toward the House Chamber, where some congress members were sheltering in place.
Capitol Police also responded to pipe bombs found outside the Democratic and Republican national committee headquarters.
More than 18 local, state and federal law enforcement agencies along with the National Guard assisted Capitol Police.
Sund promised a “thorough review of the incident, security planning and policies and procedures.”
