Twitter Users Mock Josh Hawley After He Loses Book Deal Over Capitol Riot Role

For a guy who prides himself on being a constitutional lawyer, Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) seems very unfamiliar with the First Amendment.

The publisher said it had dropped plans to publish “The Tyranny of Big Tech,” saying it cannot support the senator’s role “in what became a dangerous threat to our democracy and freedom.” 

Hawley, the former attorney general of Missouri, condemned the cancellation of his book deal as “a direct assault on the 1st Amendment” and vowed to take the publisher to court.

But while Hawley has an extensive legal background, many Twitter users pointed out that his angry, spiteful tweet suggested he had little understanding about the First Amendment, which applies to restrictions by the government, not from private businesses.

So by Hawley’s logic, anyone who doesn’t get a book published by Simon and Shuster is having their 1st Amendment rights infringed upon. I wish I knew this when I was shopping my book. https://t.co/nQjmpwIixN

— Sopan Deb (@SopanDeb) January 8, 2021

Senator who says private business should be able to whatever the fuck they to whoever the fuck they want without regulation…

has sad feels when private business does whatever the fuck they want to him

cry me a fucking river https://t.co/KzeeiWg0Hc

— Shannon in Ohio 4 (@ShannonFreshour) January 8, 2021

You should explore the whole first amendment thing. You might find it fascinating, especially the part where the government can’t restrict free speech, but a private company can do whatever they want to your traitor ass.

— Peter Shankman (@petershankman) January 8, 2021

Have you heard of starting your own blog? Should clear up your “first ammendment” concerns. Unless of course it’s really about the money. https://t.co/VSbSoSOkFe

— david cross✍ (@davidcrosss) January 8, 2021

You went to @YaleLawSch. Surely, you know that a privately-owned publishing company making the morally hygienic decision to drop your book contract in no way represents a “direct assault on the First Amendment.” https://t.co/oSXBqd4WmZ

— James Kirchick (@jkirchick) January 8, 2021

Hi Josh – Welcome to our free society. It’s a system in which overturning legitimate elections is frowned upon, and in which no one is obligated to publish your nuclear horse shit. On the bright side, it is also a system in which you are welcome to whine a lot? https://t.co/lmkgzqrlYJ

— Ed Helms (@edhelms) January 8, 2021