A Republican state senator in Georgia was arrested Thursday, Jan. 16, after attempting to attend Gov. Brian Kemp’s “State of the State” address in the state Capitol chambers. Video posted to the senator’s X account shows a scuffle outside the chamber doors before he was escorted out by police and taken to jail, according to the senator’s team.
In the video, the senator can be heard saying, “It has gone too far. I have an obligation to be in that room. I represent 200,000 people in northwest Georgia who duly elected me to be here today.”
Senator Colton Moore, who exposed and defeated corrupt District Attorney Fani Willis last year, has been arrested by the Anti-Trump Speaker of the Georgia House.
— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) January 16, 2025
Colton is being held in the same Atlanta jail as President Trump.
We are working to ensure his expedient release.… pic.twitter.com/hRA2gM54FD
The incident is the latest in a series of controversies involving Colton Moore, whose career has been marked by intense disputes, including a growing divide with members of his own party.
Moore was expelled from the Republican Caucus in the state Senate in 2023 and was banned from the House floor the following year.
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In 2023, after then-former President Donald Trump’s indictment in the state, Moore called for a special session to investigate and potentially impeach Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. However, Moore’s fellow Republicans disagreed and said he launched verbal attacks against them for not supporting his efforts.
In response, the Georgia Senate Republican Caucus indefinitely suspended Moore.
“The Georgia RINOs responded to my call to fight back against the Trump witch hunts by acting like children and throwing me out of the caucus,” Moore said in response to his suspension.
In March 2024, following a remembrance ceremony for late Speaker David Ralston, Moore was banned from the House chambers. At the memorial, Moore criticized Ralston, calling him “one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders we’ll ever see in our lifetimes,” due to allegations that Ralston leveraged his political power as an attorney to delay cases for high-paying clients.
Moore’s remarks were interrupted by Republican colleagues who deemed the comments inappropriate for the occasion. Speaker Jon Burns condemned Moore’s statements, calling them “vile,” and ordered Moore banned from entering the House chambers.
The altercation Thursday occurred ahead of the governor’s address, after Burns sent Moore a letter reminding him that the ban from House property remains in effect. The letter referred to Moore’s March 2024 comments about Ralston, and reinforced the order barring him from entering the House chamber.
In response, Moore posted a letter on his social media claiming that the ban was “unconstitutional” and “illegal” and reaffirmed his intention to attend the address.
Moore now faces a charge of “willfully obstructing law enforcement officers.”
