US: Publisher drops book by Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley in wake of Capitol siege

In the wake of Wednesday’s Capitol siege, publisher Simon & Schuster have cancelled a planned book by Republican senator Josh Hawley. In a statement released earlier, the publishing house said that after witnessing the “deadly insurrection” at the US by the pro-Trump mob, it has decided to cancel the book by the President’s ally. However, the Missouri senator who has alleged voter fraud in November vote called the decision “Orwellian” and vowed to fight in court.

“After witnessing the disturbing, deadly insurrection that took place on Wednesday in Washington, D.C, Simon & Schuster has decided to cancel publication of Senator Josh Hawley’s forthcoming book, ‘The Tyranny of Big Tech.’

Elaborating further, Simon & Schuster asserted that they did not come to the decision “lightly” and it was done after fathoming about their social responsibility. The publishing house stated that although it was their mission to amplify various viewpoints and voices, they cannot support a senator who played a role in what became a “dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.”

Immediately after the news broke that his book was dropped, Hawley tweeted, and tagged his comments directly to Simon & Schuster, that he was being unfairly censored and punished: “I was representing my constituents, leading a debate on the Senate floor on voter integrity, which they have now decided to redefine as sedition.” In response, Simon & Schuster quickly issued another statement reckoning that they were "confident that we are acting fully within our contractual rights” to cancel the book.

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Capitol Breach

The Capitol building was locked down and police moved in with guns drawn as Vice President Mike Pence and lawmakers were evacuated to secure locations on January 6. National Guard troops were deployed and a citywide curfew called for shortly after dusk, as rioters continued to occupy the seat of Congress for hours. As per the latest inputs, four people lost their lives. 

The unrest erupted as a joint session of Congress had convened to certify Biden’s election victory over President Donald Trump. But, in anticipation of that occurring, thousands of pro-Trump demonstrators massed outside the Capitol. The mob was eventually cleared out of the building and Congress moved to resume certification. Biden stopped short of accusing Trump of treason but said what happened "borders on sedition."

Read: Law Enforcement Beefed Up At Capitol After Curfew

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