Georgia State Senator Colton Moore was denied entry to Gov. Brian Kemp‘s state of the State speech on Thursday. Shoved to the ground when trying to enter the chamber, Moore agreed with a security guard who told him “c’mon, this has gone too far.”
Moore — a far-right pro-Trump firebrand often at odds with the state’s Republican powerbrokers — replied that, yes, it had “gone too far.”
Moore made his case for entry, proclaiming: “I have an obligation to be in that room. I represent 200,000 people in Northwest Georgia who duly elected me to be here.”
Sharing the clip below, former Republican and Florida prosecutor Ron Filipkowski reported that Moore was “arrested today after the GA House Speaker would not allow him” to attend Kemp’s speech. (The Georgia House Speaker is Republican Jon G. Burns.)
Pro-Trump and anti-Brian Kemp State Sen. Colton Moore is thrown to the ground and arrested today after the GA House Speaker would not allow him to attend Kemp’s State of the State speech. pic.twitter.com/SXrKclsSnd
— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) January 16, 2025
On X, an account called PatriotTakes — with 440K followers — called the incident an example of “how Brian Kemp’s Georgia treats one of Trump’s fiercest MAGA allies” and demanded to know: “Why isn’t Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking out about this?”
(Greene had not yet commented at the time of this publication.)
This is how Brian Kemp’s Georgia treats one of Trump’s fiercest MAGA allies.
Colton Moore was protesting against Trump’s arrest in Georgia along with Laura Loomer.
Why isn’t Marjorie Taylor Greene speaking out about this? https://t.co/5EptcPj10l
— PatriotTakes
(@patriottakes) January 16, 2025
Moore was banned from the chamber in March for making “disparaging comments about late House Speaker David Ralston,” a Republican who held the Speakership for more than a decade.
Ralston died in 2022 and Moore vocally objected to the naming of a Northern Georgia University building after him, calling Ralston “one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders that we are ever going to see in my lifetime.”
[NOTE: In September 2023, AP reported of Moore that “Georgia’s Republican Senate Caucus is suspending a GOP state senator who attacked them for opposing his plan to impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis for indicting former President Donald Trump.”
The article described Moore as “the most prominent backer of a special session to impeach and remove Willis or defund her office, winning Trump’s endorsement.” Kemp did not agree with Moore, noting the sanctity of the separation of the branches of government.]
TYRANT ALERT
Speaker @JonBurnsGA is attempting to ARREST and BLOCK me from representing the 53rd District at tomorrow’s State of the State joint session.
I will NEVER back down.
I will ALWAYS speak the truth and represent the people of Northwest Georgia as their trusted… pic.twitter.com/zl9R4H1EmY
— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) January 15, 2025
Moore’s current ban was slammed by Josh McKoon, Georgia Republican Party chair, who told Fox5 Atlanta: “It was not only legally appropriate to admit [Moore] to today’s proceedings — it was simply the right thing to do.”
Statement from @GaRepublicans Chairman @JoshMcKoon
“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…
— Josh McKoon
(@JoshMcKoon) January 16, 2025