Senator Josh Hawley (R-Missouri) was the lone senator to vote against the COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act, which ended up passing with overwhelming bipartisan support, 94-1.
When asked about his opposition to the bill, Hawley responded, “I’m just concerned the bill is hugely broad, hugely open-ended. It’s just, you know, the ability and power to define crimes, to define incidents going forward, and collect all that data, it just seemed hugely, hugely overbroad.”
Despite Hawley’s criticism, the bill does not actually “define” any new crimes.
Though his comments may come as a shock to some, this 41-year-old senator is no stranger to controversy.
Prior to the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection, Hawley was one of the most vocal conservatives who spoke out about potential voter fraud without offering any evidence.
Hawley voted to acquit former President Donald Trump.
