Sen. Josh Hawley: “I was the only senator to vote no on that and I would do it again.”

WASHINGTON, D.C. (KY3) - In the wake of Monday’s deadly shooting at a Nashville private Christian school, Missouri Senator Josh Hawley is calling on the director of the FBI and the head of the Department of Homeland Security to classify the incident as a federal hate crime.

However, many are questioning Sen. Hawley’s actions, asking why he is speaking up now and not after other shootings in America.

“What interests me is why all the folks who usually say, oh, we’ve got to open up a hate crime investigation, are totally silent on this,” said Sen. Hawley. “Is it because these students are Christians? Is that it? Is it because this is a church, and they don’t like the teachings of that church? Is that it? I mean, listen, in this country, we don’t discriminate based on religious belief.”

Critics are also calling attention to 2021, when Sen. Hawley was the lone senator to vote against legislation to protect Asian Americans from hate crimes better.

“That didn’t add any hate crimes to the statute,” said Sen. Hawley. “Hate crimes against Asian Americans are based on race, and that is already in the statute. It’s been there for 20 years. What that did is it gave the Department of Justice new authority over speech, not crimes, not violence, but speech. As I said, at the time, I was the only senator to vote no on that, and I would do it again.”

On Tuesday, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland said they have still not determined the shooter’s motive in Nashville.

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