Simon & Schuster drops book by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley
NEW YORK » A planned book by Sen. Josh Hawley, who objected to Presidentelect Joe Biden’s win and backed baseless claims that the election was stolen, has been canceled by its publisher in the wake of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol by a mob of pro-Trump supporters, a decision the Missouri Republican called “Orwellian” and vowed to fight in court.
In a statement Thursday, Simon & Schuster announced that “After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, D.C, Simon & Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Sen. Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book, ‘The Tyranny of Big Tech.’
“We did not come to this decision lightly. 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 Sen. Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.”
Thousands of Trump supporters had gathered in Washington on Wednesday to protest Congress’ formal certification of Biden’s win and many ended up storming into the Capitol and occupying it for hours, delaying the process into early Thursday morning. A widely seen photo, taken before the occupation, shows Hawley raising a fist in solidarity to the crowd.
Hawley has often been cited as possible future presidential candidate ,and his book, scheduled to come out in June, was an intended forum for a favorite theme — the undue power of Google, Facebook and other internet giants.
“Let me be clear, this is not just a contract dispute,” Hawley said. “It’s a
direct assault on the First Amendment ... I will fight this cancel culture with everything I have. We’ll see you in court.”