Publisher Simon & Schuster announced Thursday the cancellation of Republican Senator Josh Hawley’s book after Capitol violence.
What We Know:
- Simon & Schuster shelves Josh Hawley’s book after Trump rioters stormed the U.S. Capitol, resulting in four deaths. In a report by NBC News, Simon & Schuster called the event “disturbing” and a “deadly insurrection.”
- In light of the decision, the publisher stated, “As a publisher, it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints: at the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.”
- Hawley was one of the primary leaders in objecting to President-elect Joe Biden’s presidential victory. Hawley backed the baseless claims made by President Donald Trump of voter fraud. Despite the violent acts at the Capitol, Hawley still objected to Biden’s win. Both parties criticized Hawley for his decision. Congress affirmed Biden’s win early Thursday morning.
- Hawley called out the publisher for canceling the contract saying it is an attack on his First Amendment rights. Hawley tweeted about the incident.
My statement on the woke mob at @simonschuster pic.twitter.com/pDxtZvz5J0
— Josh Hawley (@HawleyMO) January 7, 2021
- Hawley announced his book The Tyranny of Big Tech in October, which looked critically at social media influence. “At a time when these platforms are determining elections, banning inconvenient political views, lining politicians’ pockets with hundreds of millions of dollars, and addicting our kids to screens, I want to draw attention to the robber barons of the modern era,” he said about the book.
Hawley’s book was set to release on June 21st of this year. Whether the book will be released and who will publish it is unknown.
