Have you ever heard of anyone more censored than a sitting U.S. senator with a new book deal, over half a million Twitter followers and regular TV appearances?
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), eager to change the narrative after personally trying to silence millions of voters by attempting to help ex-President Donald Trump overturn the 2020 election last month, went on Fox News for the umpteenth time on Thursday night to complain about the “woke media” trying to “silence and punish conservatives.”
“I, for one, am not going to be silenced,” he declared.
It was part of Hawley’s deluge of appearances on one of the most-watched TV networks in recent weeks, and observers dragged the senator over the clear contradiction with his phony self-victimization:
I thought you were silenced and deplatformed?
— Rachel Vindman (@natsechobbyist) February 5, 2021
I believe this is Josh Hawley’s 12th night in a row as a victim of censorship in front of millions of people on prime time national television. https://t.co/8TUb1QX0Qy
— Brian Tyler Cohen (@briantylercohen) February 5, 2021
Does anyone hear Josh Hawley speaking over all this censorship?
— Frank Giugliano (@nyccookies) February 4, 2021
I’m also constantly silenced by going on television
— Brendel (@Brendelbored) February 5, 2021
if only these dolts were half as quiet as they say we're forcing them to be
— shauna (@goldengateblond) February 5, 2021
You may think it’s ironic that he’s saying this while appearing on a national cable news network, but he has correctly assumed that every household has pressed mute by now. https://t.co/K8aBJjDfei
— Michael G. (@MichaelGarofola) February 5, 2021
I thought you were censored and not allowed to speak in public? https://t.co/2xQrA6Fj41
— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) February 5, 2021
JFC—we know,Josh. We know because you don’t STFU. https://t.co/D4fpWMNO1e
— DeMarcus Gilliard (@semperdiced) February 5, 2021
In addition to Fox News, Hawley used radio programs, Twitter and the front page of the New York Post to mewl about allegedly being silenced by his enemies, particularly after publisher Simon & Schuster dropped his book deal over his role in trying to delegitimize the election and enabling a violent insurrection of the Capitol by a mob of Trump’s supporters.
Regnery, another publisher, agreed to release Hawley’s book less than three weeks later. Simon & Schuster is a distributor for Regnery.