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A Georgia The state senator has been banned from the State House chamber after an ugly incident on Thursday saw him thrown to the floor, arrested and later hospitalised.
State Sen. Colton Moore, a hardliner President-elect Trump who previously sought to have Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis impeached for impeaching the former president, engaged in a heated exchange at the entrance to the House chamber where officials denied him entry to attend Governor Brian Kemp’s State of the State address.
Moore, of Trenton in Dade County, ended up being pushed to the ground by Keith Williams, an attorney in the office of House Speaker Jon Burns, who was trying to enforce a ban the speaker imposed on Moore. Moore was barred from the chamber after he criticized the state Senate’s decision to consider last year a resolution naming a building at the University of North Georgia in honor of former House Speaker, now deceased, David Ralston.
State Sen. Colton Moore at the hospital, left, Moore pushed to the ground, right. (Sen. Colton Moore via Storyful/Fox News)
STATE SENATOR PUSHED TO GROUND, ARRESTED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ENTER GEORGIA HOUSE CHAMBER
On Thursday, Moore made several attempts to get past House staff, but was repeatedly rebuffed. Then, at one point, William sent Moore flying, with the senator falling awkwardly to the ground. After another attempt to break in, Moore was arrested by state troopers and taken away.
Later in the evening, Moore posted a video of himself sitting in a hospital bed with a blood pressure monitor strapped to one of his arms. His other arm was raised over the bed rail.
“I took a little beating; my hand, it’s a little swollen and bruised; we’re waiting to get some X-rays to check it out,” Moore said.
“My freedom and liberty was taken away from me today while I was fighting for your freedom and liberty. But I tell you what, we still have a constitutional duty to do the job, and I’ll still be in this legislature tomorrow morning. Thank you all. for the support.” .
Burns initially called the incident “incredibly unfortunate” and said Moore had “created a dangerous situation when he chose to use force against our law enforcement officers, dedicated doormen and House staff.” Burns he said the integrity and decorum of this House was “non-negotiable period”.
On Friday, Burns, a Newington Republican, lifted his ban after state Senate and Republican Party leaders lined up to support Moore.
Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, is stopped by the Georgia State Patrol as Moore attempted to enter the state House of Representatives for the State of the State address at the Georgia Capitol on Thursday January 16, 2025 in Atlanta. (Jason Getz/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP)
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He said Moore’s desire to “cause unrest and gain press notoriety broke the long-standing rules and precedents of decorum that every member of the General Assembly has a responsibility to uphold.” But he said he would admit Moore to joint sessions without apology because Ralston wouldn’t have wanted the Legislature’s work to get in the way.
“Therefore, the Ralston family has expressed to their family here in the House that they wish our House to resume business as usual, with all members of the General Assembly present, for any future joint session with or without the apologies they and themselves the House deserves,” Burns said.
Moore’s ban stemmed from a speech he made last year against former President Ralston, who was also a Republican.
Moore accused Ralston of using his office to delay the court cases of criminal defendants he had represented as a lawyer. Ralston claimed in 2019 that his the actions were completely legal.
“This body is about to memorialize, in my opinion, one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders I will ever see in my lifetime,” Moore exclaimed at the time.
It’s not the first time Colton, a self-described “RINO wrangler,” has clashed with his Republican colleagues.
Sen. Colton Moore, R-Trenton, is pushed to the floor. (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
In 2023, the Republican caucus of the Georgia Senate suspended Moore for attacking them for opposing his plan to prevent Willis from impeaching Trump in a case of electoral interference.
Moore was the most prominent sponsor of a special session to impeach and impeach Willis or cancel his office, winning Trump’s endorsement. Kemp denounced the appeal as “a scam of a scam” to collect contributions to Moore’s campaign.
The Willis case eventually unraveled, in part because he was there a romantic relationship with a prosecutor she had hired
Moore was booked into the Fulton County Jail on a misdemeanor charge of willfully obstructing law enforcement officers.
After Moore took a mugshot mimicking one made famous by Donald Trump at the same jail, a supporter posted Moore’s $1,000 bond.
Lt. Edward Starling, a trooper spokesman, said he had no update on whether the charges would be dropped.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
