Sen. Colton Moore arrested after trying to enter Georgia House
He was banned from the chamber last year by the House Speaker
ATLANTA, Georgia (WDEF) – A northwest Georgia lawmaker was arrested today as he tried to enter a joint session of the legislature.
The Governor was opening the new legislative session with a speech on his priorities this year.
Members of both the House and Senate are expected to be there.
But Senator Colton Moore was banned last year from stepping inside the state House chambers when he took the microphone during a tribute to the late House Speaker and attacked him in front of his widow.
Moore sent out a statement yesterday saying he would defy that ban today.
“I will NEVER back down.
I will ALWAYS speak the truth and represent the people of Northwest Georgia as their trusted America First Senator.
Tomorrow, I will attend the joint session, as required by law and by my commitment to you.
We will not be intimidated or silenced, and I am prepared to take all necessary legal actions to continue serving you without obstruction.”
Political reporter Greg Bluestein shot video of the confrontation when Senator Moore tried to enter the house.
<blockquote class=”twitter-tweet” data-media-max-width=”560″><p lang=”en” dir=”ltr”>Republican state Sen. Colton Moore was just arrested by state Troopers after he tried to defy a House order that banned him from the chambers. He was knocked to the floor after a scuffle, and was led away after telling authorities they were denying his rights. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/gapol?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#gapol</a> <a href=”https://t.co/jcKi5LEQHW”>pic.twitter.com/jcKi5LEQHW</a></p>— Greg Bluestein (@bluestein) <a href=”https://twitter.com/bluestein/status/1879922390374953175?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>January 16, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src=”https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js” charset=”utf-8″></script>
As he told state troopers that he was going to enter, they wrestled him to the ground and arrested him.
Since then, prominent Georgia Republicans are supporting Moore.
Lt. Governor Burt Jones says, whether you like him or not, the Senator should have been allowed into the speech.
“All elected 56 Senators and 180 Representatives deserve the opportunity to attend joint session of the General Assembly.”
And the Chairman of the Georgia Republican party added his support in this statement:
“Republicans believe in our Constitutional form of government. Usually on a few occasions each year, the Georgia House and the Georgia Senate meet in a joint session to conduct legislative business. Today was one of those days as our Governor provided a report on State Government to the legislature. No duly elected member of the State House or State Senate, regardless of party or position on an issue of the day, should be denied the opportunity to represent the people who elected them at any such joint session, wherever it is taking place. I am deeply disappointed that Senator Moore was denied admission and shocked that he was apparently subjected to arrest for attempting to attend the joint session today, after being physically manhandled. It was not only legally appropriate to admit him to today’s proceedings — it was simply the right thing to do. Our focus should be on the excellent agenda being outlined by Governor Kemp today to continue to make Georgia the best place in the country to live, work, and raise a family — not internal conflicts.”
While Moore has his problems with the leadership of his own party, he has plenty of support back home.
He easily won re-election in November.
