Simon & Schuster publisher announced on Thursday that it is archiving Republican Senator Josh Hawley’s book in the wake of hundreds of pro-Trump protesters who swarmed the U.S. Capitol, resulting in four deaths and dozens of arrests.
The editor called the events “disturbing” and a “deadly uprising”.
“We did not take this decision lightly,” the statement said. “As an editor, it will always be our mission to amplify a variety of voices and points of view: at the same time, we take our greatest public responsibility as citizens seriously and we cannot support Senator Hawley after his role in what has become a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom. “
Hawley was one of the two main Republicans who led an effort to object to certifying the election of President-elect Joe Biden’s Electoral College, raising unsubstantiated allegations of fraud that were encouraged by President Donald Trump.
He was ridiculed by both sides for his role in Wednesday’s events – and still continued his objection to the results of the Electoral College in Pennsylvania, despite the violent violation. Congress, however, affirmed Biden’s victory in a vote on Thursday morning after the violence.
Hawley has openly criticized social media and other tech giants like Facebook and Twitter. His book, “The Tyranny of Big Tech”, was scheduled to be released on June 21.
“At a time when these platforms are determining elections, banning inconvenient political views, filling politicians’ pockets with hundreds of millions of dollars and addicting our children to screens, I want to draw attention to the thieving barons of the modern era,” Hawley said. in an October statement announcing the book.
