Tennessee GOPhascists
expel Democrat for gun-
control protest
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — In an extraordinary act of political retaliation, Tennessee Republicans on Thursday expelled a Democratic lawmaker from the state Legislature for his role in a protest that called for more gun control in the aftermath of a deadly school shooting in Nashville.
Two more Democrats were at risk of being ousted by the GOP supermajority in the House.
The 72-25 vote to banish Rep. Justin Jones...
The House was also considering removing Reps. Gloria Johnson and Justin Pearson a week after the trio chanted back and forth from the chamber floor with gun-control supporters who packed the gallery. The protest happened days after six people, including three children, were fatally shot at The Covenant School in Nashville.
“We are losing our democracy. This is not normal. This is not OK. We broke a House rule because we’re fighting for kids who are dying from gun violence and people in our communities who want to see an end to the proliferation of weaponry in our communities. And that leads to our expulsion? This is not democracy.”
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In Washington, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre described the vote as “legislative bullying.”
“The fact that this vote is happening is shocking, undemocratic and without precedent,” she said.
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In 2019, lawmakers faced pressure to expel former Republican Rep. David Byrd after he faced accusations of sexual misconduct dating to when he was a high school basketball coach three decades earlier. Republicans declined to take any action, pointing out that he was reelected as the allegations surfaced. Byrd retired last year.
Last year, the state Senate expelled Democrat Katrina Robinson after she was convicted of using about $3,400 in federal grant money on wedding expenses instead of her nursing school.
Before that case, state lawmakers last ousted a House member in 2016 when the chamber voted 70-2 to remove Republican Rep. Jeremy Durham after an attorney general’s investigation detailed allegations of improper sexual contact with at least 22 women during his four years in office.