Josh Hawley makes COVID ‘worse for pursuing political career’: Missouri newspaper

A leading Missouri newspaper made no bones about it Thursday when it criticized Senator Josh Hawley, accusing him of exacerbating the COVID-19 pandemic “to advance his political career.”

Kansas City StarThe Editorial Board has regularly published scathing criticism of the Missouri Republican’s political maneuvering, particularly in the wake of the pro-Donald Trump attack on the U.S. Capitol on January 6. In its Thursday article, the newspaper criticized Hawley for a letter he sent to Administration officials Biden regarding the presidential mandate of the COVID-19 vaccine for federal workers.

The GOP senator has expressed concern over the mandate’s religious exemption clause, arguing that the guidelines “are too broad and riddled with awakened propaganda.” He suggested the warrant showed “contempt for religious beliefs”.

“Apparently Hawley decides what is sincere and what is not. It is ridiculous and dangerous,” wrote the newspaper’s editorial board. He went on to explain that the religious exemption requires applicants to answer a series of basic questions about their beliefs to ensure that the objection to the vaccination is genuine.

“Like all Missourians, we want Senator Hawley to focus on real concerns: health care, education, infrastructure and a changing climate, perhaps. Instead, he is wasting our time and the his by focusing on imaginary affronts to the cloudless world he lives in, primarily for perceived political advantage, “the editorial board wrote.

“He is worsening the COVID crisis to advance his political career. It is cynical and dangerous, and must be rejected by Missourians,” the board concluded.

News week contacted Hawley’s press secretary for comment, but did not immediately receive a response.

Kansas City Star has repeatedly criticized Hawley over the past year, especially as the Republican senator has given credit and support to former President Donald Trump’s false claims regarding the 2020 presidential election. Hawley sadly has leads senators to oppose certification of President Joe Biden’s victory in major battlefield states on Jan.6-7, even after Trump supporters attacked the Capitol. A photo of the senator raising his fist in support of the rioters went viral during and after the assault.

“Hawley’s actions last week were such an impact that he deserves an impressive share of the blame for the blood that has been spilled,” said a Jan. 6 editorial in the Missouri newspaper. He went on to point out that he was the first Republican senator to oppose Congressional certification of the victory of the Electoral College of Biden.

In mid-February, the publication’s editorial board wrote that “Hawley’s mind is definitely closed, open only in the service of its ambition.” This criticism came after he voted to acquit Trump for inciting the violent mob that attacked the Capitol. “He will say or do anything to advance his prospects, whether it is the White House or a bottle of wine off the shelf,” the editorial board wrote.

The Missouri Journal St. Louis Post-Expedition Earlier this month, he asked if Hawley was aiming to “incite more” violence. This editorial came after Hawley claimed the FBI was trying to “silence” and target parents of schoolchildren opposed to COVID-19 regulations. In fact, the Department of Justice has provided additional resources to local officials to deal with threats of violence and harassment against school staff and teachers.

“Josh Hawley … proposes the Orwellian idea that confronting harassment and bullying by parents against school board members is, in and of itself, bullying and bullying. The Republican Junior Senator from Missouri is trying -he incite more to the type of violence that he has incited to [January] 6? “The Post-shipment the editors wrote.