Following the criminal indictment of former President Donald Trump in Georgia by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, a lone Republican member of the Georgia state senate urged his GOP colleagues and the governor to call a special legislative session to take action to defund Willis' prosecutorial efforts.
Unfortunately for State Sen. Colton Moore, his GOP colleagues and the governor did not heed his call and he instead has been kicked out of the Georgia Senate Republican Caucus as apparent punishment for repeatedly raising the issue, Breitbart reported.
The outlet noted that a special legislative session can happen in one of two ways -- either the governor can call for one on an emergency basis, or the legislature itself, if three-fifths of its members agree, can launch one with a signed letter to the governor.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Thursday that the Georgia Senate Republican Caucus released a statement to confirm that State Sen. Moore had been suspended from the group after Moore had announced earlier in the day what had occurred.
The statement from the caucus knocked Moore for his "ill-conceived proposal" for a special session and accused him of having "knowingly misled people," caused "unnecessary tension and hostility," and placed his "colleagues and their families at risk of personal harm."
It further accused the state senator of having violated multiple but unspecified caucus rules and indicated that he would be accepted back into the caucus if he agreed to "abide by the Rules which he voted for" as well as "abandon his wrong-headed policy position." It also noted that his suspension from the caucus was the extent of the punishment and he was still permitted to serve his constituents and participate in all other official duties of his elected office.
In an exclusive statement to Breitbart, State Sen. Moore said, "Today’s removal is a direct result of me calling on my Republican colleagues in the Senate to do their job and sign onto an emergency session to investigate Fani Willis."
"The Georgia Constitution clearly outlines the legislature’s power to call an emergency session to investigate a judicial officer. After urging my Republican Senate colleagues to join me -- they responded by acting like children and throwing me out of the caucus," he continued.
"I stand by my Republican principles. I stand by the Republican platform. I will continue to serve as a Republican Senator from the great state of Georgia. Unfortunately, now I will be forced to refer to my colleagues, who ran on being 'Trump conservatives,' as the RINO caucus," Moore added. "The people of Georgia are 100 percent with me. This is the fight of our lifetime, and I will continue to double down to defend the rule of law and do what is right."
To be sure, State Sen. Moore doesn't exactly have 100% backing from the "people of Georgia," but according to a recent Rasmussen survey of likely voters in Georgia, there is substantial support for his demands with regard to DA Willis from Georgia Republicans.
In fact, while 58% of all Georgians believe it is very or somewhat likely that Willis is unfairly prosecuting former President Trump, that sentiment is shared by 82% of Republicans. Likewise, while 53% of all Georgians support a special session to stop Willis, such a move is supported by 74% of Republicans in the state.
Similarly, among Georgia Republicans, 73% think Willis should be impeached, 77% say she should be investigated by the legislature, another 77% say tax dollars shouldn't be used to prosecute Trump, and 58% believe her office should be defunded.
NBC News reported in late August on State Sen. Moore's demand for a special legislative session to go after DA Willis and noted how Republican Gov. Brian Kemp flatly rejected that proposition and thoroughly lambasted Moore for even making the suggestion, albeit without directly naming him.
Kemp said at the time that he had "not seen any evidence that DA Willis’ actions, or lack thereof, warrant action" as well as that a special session was "not feasible and may ultimately prove to be unconstitutional." He further stated that "we’re going to follow the law and the Constitution, regardless of who it helps and harms politically," and added, "In Georgia, we will not be engaging in political theater that only inflames the emotions of the moment. We will do what is right. We will uphold our oath to public service. And it is my belief that our state will be better off for it."
