Protesters outside Sen. Josh Hawley's home were 'peaceful,' police say

close

Video

Sen. Hawley defends pledge to object to swing-state electors

Sen. Hawley defends pledge to object to swing-state electors

Virginia authorities on Tuesday said protesters who gathered in front of the suburban Washington home of Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., were peaceful -- hours after the lawmaker claimed the group threatened his family.

Officers in Vienna were called to Hawley's home around 7:30 p.m. Monday about a protest there. They encountered about 10 to 20 protesters, Master Police Officer Juan Vazquez, a spokesman for the Town of Vienna Police Department, told Fox News. 

The gathering was in response to Hawley's announcement that he would raise objections to the final certification of President-elect Joe Biden’s win. On Twitter, he claimed the group made threats against his wife and newborn daughter, and engaged in "leftwing violence."

CRUZ-LED GROUP TO OBJECT TO CERTIFICATION OF ELECTION RESULTS IN AT LEAST ONE STATE

"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," he wrote. "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."

Messages to Hawley's office in Washington and St. Louis were not immediately returned. Video footage of the gathering showed a man speaking into a megaphone in front of a crowd outside the home. 

Vazquez said the responding officers called a supervisor to speak to the leader. The supervisor explained the town and state ordinance violations. 

"Once they explained that - I guess they were not aware of it - they decided to leave," Vazquez said. "No one was arrested. There was no vandalism that we know of."

The protesters violated three laws, Vazquez said: protesting in front of a home, an ordinance banning noise in front of a home, and littering.

ShutDownDC, the group that organized the protest, said it visited Hawley's home for 40 minutes and chanted, held candles and signs, and sang. In a 51-minute video posted to its Twitter account, the group is seen meeting in a parking lot, then walking to the home. 

"At one point a handful of people walked up the path to the front door of the house to ring the doorbell and invite Hawley to come out and have a conversation," the group told Fox News in a statement. "Senator Hawley’s suggestion that we engaged in vandalism, pounded on his door, or terrorized neighbors is demonstrably false, as are his baseless accusations of voter fraud."

The group said no one answered the door, so they left a copy of the Constitution and messages on the sidewalk in chalk -- "the kind that kids use to play hopscotch."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

In a series of Twitter posts Tuesday, Hawley claimed the protesters were not "sweet angels" but Antifa members who pounded on his door and "terrorized neighbors."