Sen. Hawley leads objection to Pennsylvania electoral votes
Group of GOP lawmakers object to the Electoral College certification of the battleground state triggering additional debate on House floor
U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley blasted Simon & Schuster on Thursday over its decision to cancel the publication of his upcoming book following the violence that took place on Capitol Hill Wednesday.
Hawley, a Missouri Republican and one of the GOP lawmakers who helped lead objections to the count of Electoral College votes, has been slammed by critics after a pro-Trump mob stormed into the Capitol building and interrupted both houses of Congress.
After Wednesday's riot, the publishing giant scrapped the planned June release of his forthcoming book, "The Tyranny of Big Tech."
"We did not come to this decision lightly," Simon & Schuster said on Thursday in a statement to The New York Times. "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."
Simon & Shuster did not respond to a request for comment from Fox News.
Hawley fired back at the "woke mob" in a statement on Twitter, Hawley's office provided the same statement to Fox News when reached for comment.
"This could not be more Orwellian," Hawley wrote. "Simon & Shuster 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 redefine as sedition."
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Hawley said that his disagreement with the publishing house was not a mere contract dispute.
"It's a direct assault on the First Amendment," Hawley wrote. "Only approved speech can now be published. 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."