Walmart issued an apology on Wednesday after a member of the company’s social media team posted a tweet to the corporation’s branded account criticizing Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo).
Hawley earlier on Wednesday indicated he will contest the results of the 2020 presidential election, becoming the first Senate Republican to say he would do so.
“Millions of voters concerned about election integrity deserve to be heard,” Hawley said in a tweet about his decision. “I will object on January 6 on their behalf.”
One of the more than 48,000 replies to the senator’s tweet came from the Walmart branded account, which said: “Go ahead. Get your 2 hour debate. #soreloser.”
A spokesperson for Walmart said in a statement to The Hill the tweet was posted in error by a social media team member who intended to tweet at Hawley from their personal account.
“The tweet was mistakenly posted by a member of our social media team who intended to publish this comment to their personal account,” the company said. “We have removed the post and have no intention of commenting on the subject of certifying the electoral college. We apologize to Senator Hawley for this error and any confusion about our position.”
Hawley shared a screenshot of the since-deleted tweet with his followers a few hours later, ripping the company for what he called “insulting condescension.”
“Now that you’ve insulted 75 million Americans, will you at least apologize for using slave labor?” Hawley said. “Or maybe you’d like to apologize for the pathetic wages you pay your workers as you drive mom and pop stores out of business.”
Hawley’s promised move to contest the election’s result would trigger debate in both chambers of Congress on the election results and individual votes before state electors are officially certified an Biden’s victory is made official.
Senate Republican leaders had hoped to avoid the vote, which is expected to showcase divisions in the conference.