Simon and Schuster has canceled the publication of a planned book by Sen. Josh Hawley, the New York Times reports.
The decision to cancel Hawley’s book came after the publisher was called out on social media by people angry at the politician for being the first U.S. senator to announce he would object to certifying the results of the presidential election. Some say that Hawley’s attempt to overturn the election, coupled with a raised-fist salute he gave to a group of pro-Trump protesters, helped inspire the mob to violently storm the U.S. Capitol on Wednesday.
“As a publisher it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and viewpoints,” Simon and Schuster said in a statement. “At the same time we take seriously our larger public responsibilityas citizens, and cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what became a dangerous threat.”
Hawley’s book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, had been slated for publication in June.
Hawley reacted angrily to Simon and Schuster’s decision on Twitter, writing, “This could not be more Orwellian…This is the Left looking to cancel everyone they don’t approve of. I will fight this cancel culture with everything I have. We’ll see you in court.”
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a New York Democrat, wasn’t impressed with Hawley’s response.
“You fist-pumped insurrectionists and baselessly attacked our elections,” she tweeted. “Your actions fueled a riot and you fundraised in the chaos. Five people are dead. Even your GOP colleagues have distanced from your acts. Yet here you are crying over a book deal. You should be expelled.”
Michael Schaub is a Texas-based journalist and regular contributor to NPR.
