AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
- Simon & Schuster, one of the “Big Five” publishing houses, canceled the scheduled publication of Sen. Josh Hawley’s upcoming book “The Tyranny of Big Tech.”
- The senator from Missouri has been one of Trump’s most ardent allies in his efforts to overturn election results, and after a right-wing insurrection rampaged through the US Capitol, Hawley continued to push conspiracies.
- “After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, DC, Simon & Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book, THE TYRANNY OF BIG TECH,” the statement said.
- Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Publisher Simon & Schuster issued a statement on Thursday saying it would cancel the publication of Sen. Josh Hawley’s upcoming book after the senator’s continued attempts to reject electoral votes.
Hawley, a staunch Trump supporter and Missouri Republican, was set to publish a book in June titled “The Tyranny of Big Tech.” But after yesterday’s events- where Hawley repeatedly objected to certifying the election results even after the procedure was halted due to a mob storming the US Capitol – the publisher took a strong stand.
“After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, DC, Simon & Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book, THE TYRANNY OF BIG TECH,” the statement said.
“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 Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom,” the publisher said.
Senator Hawley issued a statement in response to the cancelation, lamenting that “Only approved speech can now be published.”
"This could not be more Orwellian," Hawley claimed. "Simon & Schuster is canceling my contract because I was representing my constituents, leading a debate on the Senate floor on voter integrity, which they have now decided to redefine as sedition."
Hawley claimed that there was no contract dispute and that his book deal cancelation was a "direct assault on the First Amendment." Stating that "This is the Left looking to cancel everyone they don't approve of," adding, "We'll see you in court."
On Thursday, calls for Hawley to resign were amplified on Capitol Hill.
Hawley became the first GOP senator to publicly support a challenge to election results, bucking Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's advice in late December.
"I cannot vote to certify the electoral college results on January 6 without raising the fact that some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws," Hawley said on December 30. "At the very least, Congress should investigate allegations of voter fraud and adopt measures to secure the integrity of our elections. But Congress has so far failed to act."
John Danforth, a former Republican senator from Missouri, who supported Hawley's run in 2018, said that "Supporting Josh and trying so hard to get him elected to the Senate was the worst mistake I ever made in my life."
Simon & Schuster is one of the "Big Five" book publishers in the United States. In 2017 it canceled the publication of right-wing extremist Milo Yiannopoulos' book following weeks of public pressure after initially standing by him. The publisher has also produced recent explosive political books from and about Trumpworld by Mary L. Trump, the president's niece, veteran reporter Bob Woodward, former national security advisor John Bolton, and Fox News host Tucker Carlson.