President Joe Biden is facing an accusation of encouraging protests and arson in the wake of a controversial leaked Supreme Court opinion.
During an appearance on Fox News Tuesday morning, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said, “Joe Biden, this is a day late and a dollar short, this condemnation of violence.”
“This is a guy who for days has had nothing to say about these protests, firebombing of pro-life offices. He has been silent. He has encouraged it by saying, ‘Oh well, we understand people’s anger. They’ve got a right to protest.’ They don’t have a right to do this stuff,” he added.
Watch the video below:
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), who famously raised his fist in solidarity with 1/6 insurrectionists, says Biden condemning SCOTUS protests is a “day late and a dollar short”:
— The Recount (@therecount) May 10, 2022
“This is a guy who for days has had nothing to say … He has been silent, he has encouraged it.” pic.twitter.com/MBhju7Vl70
Hawley’s comments appeared to refer to a pro-life office in Madison, Wisconsin, which was vandalized on Sunday.
The words “If abortions aren’t safe then you aren’t either” were spray-painted on the exterior of the building.
BREAKING: Somebody vandalized and allegedly threw Molotov cocktails into Wisconsin Family Action’s — an anti-abortion rights group — Madison office, writing w/ graffiti, “If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either.”
— Alexander Shur (@AlexanderShur) May 8, 2022
Story TK pic.twitter.com/6Wfnyeh9hQ
Additionally, someone reportedly threw a Molotov cocktail into the building, but it did not ignite. However, the vandals reportedly started a fire.
According to Time, “It wasn’t immediately clear who vandalized the building.”
The incident is being investigated as arson.
A White House statement on Monday read, “President Biden strongly condemns this attack and political violence of any stripe.”
“The President has made clear throughout his time in public life that Americans have the fundamental right to express themselves under the Constitution, whatever their point of view,” it continued.
The statement added, “But that expression must be peaceful and free of violence, vandalism, or attempts to intimidate.”
On Thursday, White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki was asked about a call to protest outside the homes of Supreme Court justices as it appears the court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“Look, I think the president’s view is that there’s a lot of passion, a lot of fear, a lot of sadness from many, many people across this country about what they saw in that leaked document,” she said during a press briefing.
She continued, “We obviously want people’s privacy to be respected. We want people to protest peacefully if they want to protest. That is certainly what the president’s view would be.”
