Georgia House chamber arrest: State senator pushed to the ground

On Thursday, a Georgia state senator who is a staunch supporter of President-elect Trump was forcibly pushed to the ground and taken into custody while attempting to gain entry into the state House chamber.

State Sen. Colton Moore, who attempted to impeach Fani Willis, the Fulton County District Attorney, for indicting Trump, was handcuffed and removed from the House floor during Gov. Brian Kemp's State of the State Address.

The state Senate has banned Moore from entering the chamber following his criticism of their decision to name a building at the University of North Georgia after former speaker David Ralston last year.

Moore exclaimed, "In my opinion, this body will commemorate one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders we'll ever encounter in my lifetime."

On Wednesday, Moore communicated to current House Speaker Jon Burns that he believed the ban was unconstitutional and disclosed his plans to attend today's joint session.

"Moore wrote on X, stating that he would never back down and would always speak the truth while representing the people of Northwest Georgia as their trusted America First Senator."

On Thursday, he encountered opposition from the doormen and was unable to enter the chamber.

Moore stated to state troopers that he believed he had a constitutional right to enter and that the doorman should be arrested for violating the law.

"The General Assembly is holding a joint session. Your House rules do not apply," Moore informed the men. "I'm heading into the chamber."

Moore inquired of a state trooper if he was preventing him from entering, and the trooper seemed to indicate that the doormen were in charge of admitting individuals.

One of the doormen pushed Moore to the floor, causing a scuffle. Video footage shows this incident. State troopers surrounded him and he was subsequently arrested.

Georgia state police, Gov. Brian Kemp's office, and the state speaker were contacted by Planet Chronicle Digital regarding the scuffle, but no response was received before publication.

On his way out, Moore stated that the state was governed by authoritarians and that the ban imposed on him was an act of censorship as an elected official.

The Georgia Republican chairman expressed his disappointment and shock over Moore's denial of admission to the chamber and subsequent arrest.

"Admitting him to today's proceedings was legally appropriate and the right thing to do, as stated by McKoon in a FOX 5 Atlanta statement. The focus should be on Governor Kemp's excellent agenda for making Georgia the best place to live, work, and raise a family, rather than internal conflicts."

In 2023, Georgia's Republican Senate Caucus suspended Moore after he criticized them for opposing his plan to impeach Willis for indicting Trump in an election interference case.

""I was thrown out of the caucus by the Georgia RINOs who acted like children in response to my call to fight back against the Trump witch hunts, but I'm not going anywhere," Moore wrote on X at the time."

Moore was the most prominent supporter of a special session to impeach and remove Willis or defund her office, earning Trump's endorsement. Kemp criticized the move as a "grifter scam" aimed at raising campaign funds for Moore.

Due in part to her romantic relationship with a prosecutor she had hired, the Willis case eventually unraveled.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.