Walmart Apologizes For 'Mistakenly' Calling GOP Senator A 'Sore Loser' On Twitter

Walmart on Wednesday apologized to Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) after its official corporate account tweeted that he was a “sore loser” for planning to object to the presidential election certification process during a joint congressional session next week.

“Go ahead,” Walmart had tweeted earlier Wednesday in response to Hawley’s tweet announcing his intent to object to the Electoral College certification process slated for Jan. 6. “Get your 2 hour debate. #soreloser”

Hawley was the first senator to say he would object to the certification, joining fellow President Donald Trump loyalist Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.). Under federal law, if a House member and senator object to any state’s electoral votes, both chambers of Congress must debate the objection, separately, and then vote on whether to throw out those electoral votes.

The move is more symbolic than substantive as the House and Senate are expected to vote down such an objection. Nonetheless, it will likely draw praise from Trump and his supporters.

Walmart blamed a member of its social media team for “mistakenly” responding to Hawley’s announcement with the trash-talking tweet.

“We deleted the post and have no intention of commenting on the subject of certifying the electoral college,” Walmart tweeted. “We apologize to Senator Hawley for this error and any confusion about our position.”

But Hawley had already fired off a couple of tweets tearing into the retail giant for its apparent jab.

“Thanks @Walmart for your insulting condescension,” Hawley tweeted with a screenshot of Walmart’s tweet. “Now that you’ve insulted 75 million Americans, will you at least apologize for using slave labor?”

It’s unclear whether the Walmart social media employee responsible has been disciplined for the tweet in question. The company declined to comment.

Hawley said earlier Wednesday that he intended to object to the certification process as a way to raise several “critical issues,” such as Pennsylvania failing to “follow their own state election laws.”

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court rejected a request from Pennsylvania Republicans to overturn President-elect Joe Biden’s win in the state. It was one of dozens of legal challenges filed by the Trump campaign and Republicans after the election that were ultimately thrown out.

The Justice Department and election officials nationwide have found no evidence of widespread voter fraud or ballot-counting irregularities, despite Trump’s baseless claims to the contrary.

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This article originally appeared on HuffPost and has been updated.