GOP senator: We have to keep Confederate names on military bases to 'embrace the cause of union'

On Thursday, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) took to the Senate floor to block an amendment from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) to remove the names of Confederate officers from U.S. military bases — and explain his opposition.

"The purpose was to erase from history erase, every person and name and event not righteous enough and to cast those who would object as defenders of the cause of slavery," said Hawley. His goal, he insisted, was not to celebrate the Confederacy, but to "embrace the cause of union, our union shared together as Americans."

"It is time for our leaders to stop using their position here to divide us," he added.

Watch below: