KANSAS CITY, Mo. — U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said his wife and daughter were threatened by "Antifa scumbags."
The senator from Missouri tweeted Monday that the people who allegedly made the threats "screamed ... vandalized, and tried to pound open our door" while he was in Missouri and away from his Virginia home.
"Let me be clear: My family and I will not be intimidated by leftwing violence," Hawley said Monday night.
The people who were outside Hawley's home, however, have a different account of events, according to a Washington Post report.
The demonstrators told the Post they are with the group ShutDownDC and said they staged a peaceful vigil there to protest the GOP effort to discredit Congress' certification of President-elect Joe Biden.
Vienna, Virginia, police also said Tuesday that the protesters were peaceful and left when police explained they were violating local picketing laws, according to the Associated Press. Officers responded to the home after someone reported there were "people protesting in front of the house."
On Tuesday morning, Hawley said the demonstrators "shouted down my wife when she asked you to leave, vandalized property, pounded on our door, and terrorized neighbors." He also accused the Washington Post of "printing outright lies."
.@washingtonpost this morning printing outright lies from the Antifa group who now describe themselves as sweet angels. BS. You screamed through bullhorns, shouted down my wife when she asked you to leave, vandalized property, pounded on our door, and terrorized neighbors
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 5, 2021
Later Tuesday, Hawley issued a full statement through a spokesperson:
The Hawleys are grateful for the support of law enforcement. The left-wing activists refused to disperse until the police showed up. In fact, when Erin, Josh’s wife, asked them to leave, they instead screamed threats through blow horns at Erin, a newborn baby and their neighbors, and then they followed up by stepping onto their porch to pound on the front door and peer inside the house at Erin.
Last week, Hawley was the first senator to say he would object to the certification of the Electoral College's votes.
That, combined with Hawley's statements on alleged widespread election fraud, prompted the demonstration, the Post report said.
Protesters engaged only in peaceful, non-threatening activities, according to the Post, such as writing in sidewalk chalk, chanting with a megaphone and leaving a copy of the U.S. Constitution on the senator's doorstep.
ShutDownDC posted a video of the "Vigil for Democracy" on YouTube. Police can be seen arriving on scene, speaking with some of the protesters and remaining at the home until the conclusion of the protest without taking further action.
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