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Thursday, April 6, 2023 from Peachfish Productions, it's The Gist I'm Mike Pesca.

The Tennessee House of Representatives voted on expelling three members today.

The misdeeds of Representatives Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, Justin Jones of Nashville,

and Justin Pearson of Memphis included pulling out a megaphone while on the house floor,

and leading chance of the citizens in the gallery who were advocating for gun control in the wake

of the Covenant School shooting. Jones two days ago was also engaged in a scuffle over a cell phone

with a fellow Republican representative, which led to Jones filing criminal charges. By the way,

a few years ago, Jones himself was charged with throwing a cup of coffee at a congressman.

The charges were later dropped. During the protests last week, the three were gavilled out of order

and fellow Democrats, including House Minority Leader Karen Camper, unsuccessfully tried to persuade

them to move off the house floor. They resisted. Joe Towns, a representative from the Memphis area,

since 1995, did not approve of the methods of his fellow black Democrats in Pearson and Jones's case,

both freshmen. Quote, I just told them to bring their ass on. Let's get over to this room over here

so I can tell you what's getting ready to happen. He was quoted by the Tennessee lookout as saying,

Towns continued, I said, dammit, I don't want to hear that shit. I'm talking now. Plus, you know,

I don't play that shit. But today, Towns called the Expulsion Move an ambush. The expulsion will be

the third in Tennessee's history and the only one to take place on partisan lines. Past,

censured and expelled parties include a congressman who accepted bribes and one who engaged in sexual

misconduct. The three representatives today spoke from the House floor and fielded questions

from their fellow members. All of the African-American speakers were Democrats and all defended them.

...