Georgia Senate Republicans ousted State Senator Colton Moore from the state’s Majority Caucus over his calls to defund and investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis.
Following the DA’s sweeping indictment against former President Donald Trump and 18 of his allies last month, Moore urged the Georgia legislature to strip her of funding and, if appropriate, impeach her.
“America is under attack,” he wrote on X. “I’m not going to sit back and watch as radical left prosecutors politically TARGET political opponents.”
In a letter to Gov. Brian Kemp (R), Moore said the Georgia Legislature could convene a special session, claiming that 3/5 of both chambers had signed on to the effort.
The Georgia Senate GOP said in a statement Thursday that 32 of 33 Republican State Senators, the Governor, Lt. Governor, Speaker of the House, and the Chairman of the Georgia Republican party had concluded that such a special session was “impossible.” They accused him of misleading people in Georgia and throughout the nation, “causing unnecessary tension and hostility. while putting his caucus colleagues and their families at risk of personal harm.”
Moore has been suspended from participating in the Caucus “until he agrees to abide by the Rules which he voted for at the beginning of his term,” the statement says. “This decision simply impacts Senator Moore’s ability to caucus with his fellow Senate Republicans. It does not preclude him from representing the constituents of senate District 53 as a duly elected State Senator while participating in official Senate business.”
The Majority Caucus concluded by saying they hoped Moore would be able to rejoin them in the future “as we continue delivering conservative policy solutions for our state.”
Statement Regarding the Indefinite Caucus Suspension of Senator Colton Moore#gapol pic.twitter.com/tPZhlYyiY0
— GA Senate Republicans (@GASenateGOP) September 28, 2023
In his statement reacting to his suspension, Moore, the vice chairman of Georgia Freedom Caucus, accused the Georgia Republicans of “acting like children.”
“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. But I’m not going anywhere,” Moore wrote on X.
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.
The people of Georgia are 100% 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.
I will continue to EXPOSE Fani Willis and the RINOs covering for her.
On August 31, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R-Ga.) announced that he would not support efforts to remove Willis from office and referred to the effort as “political theater.”
Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns also spoke out against the move, saying that defunding Willis’ office “flaunts the idea of separation of power, if not outright violates it.”
“A select few are calling to defund a duly-elected district attorney of this state and her office in an attempt to interfere with the criminal justice system,” Burns wrote to his Republican colleagues in an August memo. “It is unfortunate some would knowingly suggest such a reckless course of action despite the devastating effects it would have.”
The Georgia Freedom Caucus (GFC) said in a statement Thursday that the Republican establishment is angry because “they are being held accountable.”
“Colton Moore stands with the people, not the politicians,” the GFC wrote on X. “Let us be clear: We stand STRONG with Colton Moore.”
The GA Senate Republican Caucus has kicked @realColtonMoore out for demanding a special session to investigate and defund Fani Willis.
The establishment is angry they are being held accountable.
Colton Moore stands with the people, not the politicians.
Let us be clear: We… https://t.co/F9J0oisByh
— Georgia Freedom Caucus (@FreedomCaucusGA) September 28, 2023