The Untold Truth Of Josh Hawley
Conservative Missouri Senator Josh Hawley has been a vocal ally of Donald Trump during his presidency. Since it was declared that Joe Biden would become the 46th President of the United States in November 2020, Hawley joined the large group of Republicans who have claimed the 2020 presidential election was rigged by Democrats. Just before the electoral college was set to certify Biden's victory over Trump on Jan 6, 2021, Hawley tweeted that he would not let the process continue without a fight. "Today I have the opportunity and the obligation to speak for my constituents and to object during the electoral college certification. I look forward to the debate," he said. As promised, he joined 146 other Republicans between the House and Senate who voted to overturn the election results, as reported by The New York Times.
Hawley is now being accused of taking his objection to the 2020 election results one step further by contributing to the violence that took place during the overtaking of the U.S. Capitol Building on January 6 as the electoral college was entering its official decision on the election. The allegations come after the former Attorney General was photographed raising his fist to show support of rioters at the Capitol Building before they broke inside. Let's take a deeper look at the untold truth of Josh Hawley as his Capitol Building drama unfolds.
Josh Hawley had his upcoming book cancelled
Once the photos of Josh Hawley encouraging Capitol Building protesters circulated, he received an immense amount of backlash, most notably from his would-be book publisher, Simon & Schuster. His book, The Tyranny of Big Tech, was already available for pre-order on Amazon and was set to hit stands in June 2021, according to The New York Times. However, after taking note of his alleged riot support, the publishing giant decided to pull the book.
"We did not come to this decision lightly," Simon & Schuster tweeted on Jan. 7, 2021. "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."
This is not the first time a "Big Five" book publisher has pulled books due to controversial affiliations. Hachette Book Group canceled the publication of Woody Allen's autobiography in 2020 following severe criticism from its own employees and author Ronan Farrow. Allen has been accused of child molestation, and the Hachette Book Group published Farrow's exposé on Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault allegations. Therefore, Farrow said the decision to undertake Allen's book was severely irresponsible.
However, similarly to the election results, Hawley does not plan to let his book get cancelled without a fight.
Josh Hawley does not back down from his beliefs
Following Simon & Schuster's announcement to cancel his upcoming book, which spoke about the various dangers inflicted on society by big tech companies, Josh Hawley showed that he still plans to fight.
"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 rebrand as sedition," he slammed in a statement posted to Twitter. "Let me be clear, this is not just a contract dispute. It's a direct assault on the First Amendment," he continued. "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," he added.
Following the news, former Missouri Republican Senator John Danforth, who recruited Hawley in 2018, said the decision to do so was "the biggest mistake I've ever made in my life," according to The Kansas City Star. Democrats also condemned Hawley's actions and supported the publisher, including Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who tweeted that the senator was "crying over a book deal" and "should be expelled" from Congress. On the other hand, Hawley still has massive support, with comments on Twitter flooding in to oppose Simon & Schuster's decision.
Meanwhile, Simon & Schuster stands that the company was "acting within its contractual rights," per The New York Times.