REVEALED: House Speaker calls for expulsion of three Democrats, but 'can't prove' claims of violence
Posted: 7:02 PM, Apr 04, 2023 Updated: 8:07 PM, Apr 04, 2023
By: Phil Williams
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee House Speaker Cameron Sexton said Tuesday he supports the expulsion of three Democrats who engaged in a protest against gun violence on the House floor.
But pressed on claims that the trio were intending to "incite violence," the Republican leader admitted he had no such evidence.
The unusual protest on the House floor last week followed the mass shooting at The Covenant School that left three nine-year-old children dead, along with three school employees. But instead of debating solutions, on Thursday, the Republican-controlled House will consider the expulsion of the three Democrats.
"They're the ones that has done something that's never happened, and they are the ones that pulled out a megaphone on the House floor and led the protest to the gallery, which shut us down," Sexton told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
We pressed, "What is your opinion? Should they be expelled?"
"My opinion," Sexton responded, "is they should be expelled."
Democrats Gloria Johnson, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson took to the House floor last Thursday, with a bullhorn in hand, to protest the Tennessee General Assembly's lack of action on gun laws.
"They did, in the chamber with other members, break every rule that we almost have — props, how they act, decorum, not being recognized, taking over the assembly, causing us to have to shut down to take a recess because of their actions," Sexton continued.
While the House Speaker insisted he has no problem with the protests that were occurring outside the House chamber, he has claimed the three Democrats were trying to "incite violence."
NewsChannel 5 Investigates noted, "There's no doubt they were disruptive. But what's the evidence they were trying to incite violence?"
"Well," Sexton answered, "they were trying to jazz people up."
"But incite violence?"
Sexton answered, "When we had representatives go to the restroom, they got spit on."
Still, we wanted to know, "Do you have any evidence that these three members were encouraging protesters to spit on members or troopers?"
The Speaker's response: "I mean you can't prove that."
On talk radio, he went even further: "What they did today was equivalent, at least equivalent, maybe worse, depending on how you look at it, of doing an insurrection in the Capitol."
Potentially worse than an attack that left more than a hundred police officers injured and the U.S. Capitol heavily damaged?
"An insurrection is a revolt against civil authority, an act or revolt against civil authority," Sexton explained.
We pressed, "But a lot of people, Speaker, look at this and say it's not fair to say that was worse than Jan. 6th, when so many officers were attacked, when people were injured, when people were afraid of their lives."
"Like I said," he explained, "that quote did not say absolutely it was worse. It said it could be."
On Monday night, an encounter between Justin Jones and Republican Justin Lafferty led to a physical exchange when Lafferty was accused of assaulting the Democratic member.
Video obtained by NewsChannel 5 shows a melee on the House floor where lawmakers had to be pulled apart.
Outside the chambers, protesters called out Sexton by name, chanting: "Speaker Sexton has got to go."
NewsChannel 5 Investigates asked him, "Do you bear any responsibility for turning up the heat?"
Sexton answered, "How did I turn up the heat?"
We noted that he tweeted out video of the protest on the House floor, tagging FoxNews, Tucker Carlson, Donald Trump and others.
We noted, "That doesn't look like someone who's trying to turn down the temperature."
"No," Sexton answered, "what that is allowing people to see what's going on on the inside."
Regardless of your opinion on whether the protest was justified or not, one thing is clear: As lawmakers debate how to respond to The Covenant School shooting, any explusions of Democrats will give the Republican supermajority an even greater advantage.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates observed, "If they are expelled, that's about 200,000 Tennesseans who will not have representation on this upcoming debate. Are you comfortable with that?"
Sexton said, "Their actions made that happen."
The Speaker said that he doesn't see any potential for compromise as long as Democrats refused to admit that there was anything wrong with that protest.
Still, Republican Sam Whitson of Franklin has warned that expulsion may be an overreaction that will turn the three Democrats into martyrs.
https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newsc ... f-violence
Video at the link