Cops say protest outside Sen. Josh Hawley' Virginia home was peaceful with 'no issues or arrests' after the Republican claimed 'Antifa scumbags' threatened his wife and newborn
Protesters who gathered outside the Virginia home of Republican Sen Josh Hawley Monday evening were peaceful and they left when police explained they were violating local picketing laws, police said Tuesday, despite the Missouri senator claiming on Twitter that the group had been engaged in 'leftwing violence'.
Officers were called to Hawley's home in Vienna around 7.45pm after someone reported that there were 'people protesting in front of the house'.
Responding officers found that the 'people were peaceful,' said Master Police Officer Juan Vazquez, a spokesman for the Town of Vienna Police Department.
The demonstrators said they went to Hawley's home because he said he would object when Congress convenes Wednesday to affirm Joe Biden's election victory.
Vazquez said the protesters had been violating several laws, including a Virginia code about picketing in front of a house, a town ordinance about making noise in front of a home and a littering code.
But he said the officers explained the violations and 'everyone just left'. Vazquez added: 'There were no issues, no arrests. We didn't think it was that big of a deal.'
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Protesters who gathered outside the Virginia home of Sen Josh Hawley on Monday were peaceful, police said Tuesday, despite the Missouri senator claiming on Twitter that the group had been engaged in 'leftwing violence' and threatened his wife (pictured together)
'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,' Hawley tweeted
Nevertheless, Hawley accused the group of vandalism and threats against his family.
'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,' Hawley wrote on Twitter.
'They screamed threats, vandalized, and tried to pound open our door. Let me be clear: My family & I will not be intimidated,' he added.
But the group, ShutdownDC, posted a nearly hour-long video that showed about a dozen protesters arriving at Hawley's home, chanting and shouting through a megaphone, walking up to his doorstep, waving signs and writing on the sidewalk with chalk.
The video shows the group meeting in a nearby parking lot, discussing how they plan to protest and chant in front of his home and then shows them walking about two blocks to his home.
Outside the home, they lit candles, chanted through megaphones and held signs that read, 'Respect the votes. Trump lost!' and 'You don't have the votes!'
The protest came just days after Hawley announced that he would join the GOP and object to Electoral College vote counts when Congress meets on Wednesday to finalize Biden's win.
President Donald Trump has been pressuring GOP senators to join the effort, which could delay announcing the final result for hours.
Hawley said in a statement that he believed states, pointing a finger at Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own election laws and companies, like Twitter and Facebook, '' in the election, by supporting Biden.
A nearly 51-minute video of ShutDownDC's protest was shared on YouTube and shows them gather in a strip mall parking lot before walking to the residence
While at the home, the group mostly stayed on the sidewalk and lawn as they chanted 'Biden-Harris have won' and held up placards that read, 'Fight for our Lives'
Around the 29-minute mark, three protesters were seen taking a copy of the Constitution and placing it on the front door of the home
He also blasted Congress for refusing to investigate 'allegations of voter fraud'.
'For these reasons, I will follow the same Democrat members of Congress have in years past and object during the certification process on January 6 to raise these critical issues,' Hawley explained.
During the video of the protesters, a woman holding a child is seen opening the door of the home to observe the group for a short time before going back inside.
Around the 29-minute mark, three protesters were seen taking a copy of the Constitution and placing it on the front door of the home.
A short time later, an officer of the Vienna Police Department was seen speaking with one of the protesters.
About 10 minutes later, other officers arrived to the scene. Shortly after the arrival of police, the group placed signs and candles in front of the home and left.
The protest came just days after Hawley announced that he would join the GOP and object to Electoral College vote counts when Congress meets on Wednesday to finalize Biden's win
Shortly after the arrival of police, the group placed signs and candles in front of the home before leaving
The group also released a statement in response to Hawley's claims: 'We are absolutely and unapologetically anti-fascists'
After Hawley's accusations, ShutDownDC slammed him on Twitter, saying: 'It was a candlelight vigil, snowflake. And your house isn't in DC, it's in a suburb 30 mins outside of the District.
'You're supposed to be representing Missouri in the senate. Why did you move your primary residence to the Virginia suburbs.'
The group then released a statement saying: 'We are absolutely and unapologetically anti-fascists.
'We are perplexed that someone would use that in the pejorative and we certainly would hope that Senator Hawley also opposes fascism.
'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 group added.
Hawley is one of 13 senators who plan to object to Biden's victory. Congress is set to count and certify the Electoral College vote on Wednesday, another benchmark on the path towards Biden's inauguration.
Senators Hawley and Ted Cruz however, are leading the charge in objecting to certification, with at least a dozen senators now involved.
Hawley was the first to confirm he would object to the certification of the election results.
Cruz followed suit and brought a number of senators with him, further dividing the Republican Party.
Cruz was joined by Senators Ron Johnson, James Lankford, Steve Daines, John Kennedy, Marsha Blackburn, Mike Braun, along with Cynthia Lummis, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Hagerty, and Roger Marshall.
Georgia Sen Kelly Loeffler became the 13th senator to join the group Monday night