Hawley was at the Capitol on Jan. 6.
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley said Thursday (Jan. 7) that he plans to sue publisher Simon & Schuster after it canceled his book contract.
Hawley said the cancellation was “Orwellian. Simon & Schuster is part of the CBS Group, one of the top six publishers in the United States.
In a statement, Hawley said Simon & Schuster canceled the contract “because I led the (challenge) debate on election integrity in the Senate on behalf of my constituents, and they have now decided to redefine it (the challenge) as ‘sedition’. “
“Let me be clear, this is not just a contract dispute, this is a direct attack on the First Amendment. Only ‘approved speech’ can be published now, and this is an attempt by the left to silence all those they disagree with. I will do everything in my power to fight this phenomenon. See you in court.”
Simon & Schuster said earlier in the day that Hawley’s opposition to electoral votes in certain states at a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6 led to their decision to cancel the publishing contract.
“We did not make this decision lightly,” the company said in a statement. “While it is always our mission as publishers to spread a variety of voices and perspectives, we take seriously our larger public responsibility as citizens and cannot support Senator Hawley after his involvement in ‘dangerous threats.'”
After confronting Hawley with the announcement of the lawsuit, Simon & Schuster said they believe the cancellation is legal.
In a joint meeting Wednesday, Hawley complied with federal law by challenging Pennsylvania’s electoral votes because of alleged fraud in the state, according to multiple pieces of evidence.
Hawley is the first senator to publicly announce his intention to challenge some state Electoral College vote results in a joint session of Congress on Jan. 6, which has drawn the ire of the left. On Monday night (Jan. 4), a group of Antifa members threatened Hawley’s wife and young daughter in front of his Washington, D.C., home.
Hawley said, “Let me clarify one thing: My family and I will not be intimidated by left-wing violence.” Hawley went on to accuse the Antifa members of behavior: “(You) don’t have the guts to do (such things) in the daytime, only under the cover of darkness so you can hide. You suck, and we will not be intimidated.”
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