Tipsheet

What Caused the Tennessee Legislature to Devolve Into Mayhem Last Night

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  April 04, 2023 6:30 AM

The Tennessee Capitol was again engulfed in mayhem, albeit more orderly this time. Call it ordered chaos if you want; there wasn’t a full-blown takeover, but the gallery of the state House got rambunctious as the Republican majority took up a resolution to expel three Democratic members over their role in the insurrection that occurred on March 30. No, it wasn’t a full-blown coup a la Chile 1973, but if we’re playing by the Left’s rules, this violent armed rebellion was the worst event since Pearl Harbor. 

Scores of trans and anti-gun activists stormed the state capitol that day. There were videos of police trying to maintain order as this rabble infiltrated the building. This band of leftists gathered in the aftermath of the Covenant School shooting, which left six people dead, three of which were children. The killer, Audrey Hale, was transgender, a biological female who identified as male. Hale was killed when confronted by police. 

The three Democrats targeted for expulsion, a move the state hadn’t seen since the American Civil War, participated in the protest. As the body deliberated on the resolution, chaos erupted, with police having to remove the more unruly audience members from the gallery. There was also a confrontation on the floor (via Associated Press): 

Tennessee Republican lawmakers took the first steps Monday to expel three Democratic members from the GOP-dominant House for their role in a recent gun control protest at the state Capitol. 

The extraordinarily rare move resulted in a chaotic and fiery confrontation between lawmakers and supporters opposing the move and has further fractured an already deep political division inside the Tennessee Legislature. 

Resolutions have been filed against Reps. Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson after they led chants from the House floor with supporters in the gallery last Thursday. The resolution declared that the three had participated in “disorderly behavior” and “did knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives.” 

Republican Reps. Bud Hulsey, Gino Bulso, and Andrew Farmer filed the resolutions. They successfully requested Monday that the House expedite the process and vote on the resolutions Thursday. 

Despite support from the Republican supermajority, their requests sparked outrage among supporters watching in the gallery. Their loud jeers led House Speaker Cameron Sexton to demand that they be removed by state troopers. Also during the turmoil, several lawmakers engaged in a confrontation on the House floor. Jones later accused another member of stealing his phone and trying to “incite a riot with his fellow members.”

Was this a harsh move? Maybe, but the Left doesn’t care about the rules or proportionality in war. A grand jury in Manhattan has issued a politically motivated indictment against Donald Trump, who faces 34 charges, which we know about because it was leaked to the press. In case you didn’t know, leaking privileged grand jury information is a felony.

These charges are part of a circus act where a local district attorney, Alvin Bragg, elevated misdemeanor charges whose statute of limitations had already expired as felonies. Trump flew into New York City on Monday to await his booking. They’re not playing by the rules. When will it register in the minds of conservatives that taking the high road earns no reward, no brownie points? 

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In the meantime, we’ll see if these members are expelled.