Missouri Republican Senator Josh Hawley complained on Twitter that “Antifa scumbags” attacked his house in Washington, DC Monday night, claiming that while he was in Missouri, his wife and child were in the house as protesters vandalized the home and terrorized his family.
The problem with the claim is that video of the protest, by the group ShutDownDC, shows no such activity.
“Tonight while I was in Missouri, Antifa scumbags came to our place in DC and threatened my wife and newborn daughter, who can’t travel. They screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door. Let me be clear: My family & I will not be intimidated by leftwing violence,” Hawley tweeted.
ShutDownDC does not claim any affiliation to “antifa” except to say that they are “absolutely and unapologetically anti-fascists” and that they “certainly would hope that Senator Hawley also opposes fascism.” It does not support violent protests, and responded to the false accusation by posting a 51-minute video of the protest.
The group tweeted “We visited Senator Hawley’s house for around 30 minutes. We sang songs, chanted and shared our stories. A small group of people delivered a copy of the constitution to his door (with Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution dog eared for easy reference).
“It’s disappointing that Senator Hawley, an member of what presents itself as the greatest deliberative body in the world, would resort to calling us ‘scumbags’. But if he must. We’re happy to call him a snowflake,” the tweet thread continued.
The 51-minute video posted on YouTube by ShutDownDC shows about a dozen people with bullhorns protesting in a residential neighborhood after organizing in a nearby strip mall. No one vandalizes the property or even pounds on the door.