In an op-ed published by the New York Post on Sunday, January 24, Sen. Josh Hawley of Missouri complains bitterly about what he claims is “the latest form of cancel culture” in the United States: being lambasted for his unwavering support of President Donald Trump following the 2020 presidential election. But Hawley’s op-ed wasn’t buried deep inside the pages of the Post, which ran it as a cover story. And the far-right Republican and Trump loyalist is drawing a great deal of criticism for claiming that he exemplifies “the muzzling of America” in light of the fact that a major newspaper in the largest city in the U.S. gave him the front cover to make his bogus claims.
In his op-ed, Hawley writes, “On behalf of the voters of my state, I raised a challenge to the presidential electors from Pennsylvania after that state conducted the election in violation of the state constitution. Maybe you agree with me. Maybe you don’t. But whatever your view, Corporate America’s rush to cancel those it dislikes should trouble you.”
Hawley makes it sound like he is being persecuted for standing up for democracy. In fact, he’s being criticized for pandering to extremists who were making false claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Hawley cynically announced that on January 6, he would contest Joe Biden’s Electoral College victory. And a now-infamous photo shows Hawley waving in solidarity with violent far-right insurrectionists who later stormed the U.S. Capitol Building in the hope of preventing the certification of democratic election results. Continue reading.