Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address was more colorful than usual when a state senator was hauled away in handcuffs after trying to enter the chamber. This stems from a tussle among lawmakers last year regarding the passing of State House Speaker David Ralston. State Sen. Colton Moore did not have nice things to say, which led to him being chastised by both parties and barred from the House chambers. Moore said this was a joint session of the state legislature, so those rules did not apply. It ended up with Moore being pushed to the ground and taken away by police (via Fox 5 Atlanta):
🚨 NEW: Pro-Trump Georgia State Senator Colton Moore has been pushed to the ground and arrested after trying to attend the State of the State session.
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 16, 2025
His team says the orders came from the anti-Trump speaker of the House and is now in Atlanta jail.pic.twitter.com/7RNRMBZPoJ
"This is a joint session of the General Assembly. Your House rules do not apply," Moore told the man. "I'm going into the chamber."
After struggling to get in, Moore was pushed to the ground. He was then surrounded by members of the Georgia State Patrol.
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In March 2024, Moore was forbidden from entering the House chambers after making disparaging comments about late House Speaker David Ralston.
While the Georgia Senate considered a resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia in Ralston's memory. Moore urged senators not to approve the name change and blasted Ralston's work as a lawyer and politician.
"This body is about to memorialize, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we are ever going to see in my lifetime," exclaimed Moore, as some of Ralston's relatives watched from the Senate balcony.
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On X on Wednesday, Moore said that he would defy the ban to attend the Georgia General Assembly's joint session and Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State Address.
"I will NEVER back down," Moore wrote. "I will ALWAYS speak the truth and represent the people of Northwest Georgia as their trusted America First Senator."
The senator called Burns a "tyrant" and said that the ban was censorship of his voice as an elected official.
Moore had previously been kicked out of the Senate Republican caucus after attacking fellow Republicans for not taking up a special session in 2023 to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis over the county's indictment of President-elect Donald Trump.
He’s a rabble-rouser but was also elected. If voters wish to change this, that’s why we have elections. In the meantime, who said that local politics can’t be entertaining?
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