A dramatic scene unfolded at the Georgia State Capitol on Thursday when State Senator Colton Moore (R-Trenton) was arrested while trying to attend Governor Brian Kemp’s annual State of the State address. The governor’s speech, traditionally delivered from the Georgia House chamber, was disrupted by the senator’s defiance of a standing ban barring him from the House floor.
Senator Moore was prohibited from entering the House chamber last year after making incendiary remarks about the late House Speaker David Ralston. Moore referred to Ralston as “one of the most corrupt Georgia leaders we’ll ever see in our lifetime” during a debate over a Senate resolution to name a building at the University of North Georgia in Ralston’s honor.
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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.
Colton is being held in the same Atlanta jail as President Trump.
We are working to ensure his expedient release.… pic.twitter.com/hRA2gM54FD
— Sen. Colton Moore (@realColtonMoore) January 16, 2025
These comments were after House Speaker Jon Burns (R-Newington) had enforced this unprecedented ban making Moore the very first senator of Georgia’s to be barred on the House floor.
Moore’s Arrest Reignites Controversy
As Senator Moore tried to make his way into the House chamber on Thursday, law enforcement caught hold of him. In a statement issued by Moore’s office, the following is written: “Senator Colton Moore, who exposed and defeated corrupt Fani Willis last year, has been arrested by the Anti-Trump Speaker of the Georgia House. Colton is being held in the same Atlanta jail as President Trump. We are working to ensure his expedient release.”
Fulton County jail records confirm that Moore has been charged with willful obstruction of law enforcement officers, a misdemeanor.
Senator Moore has been a polarizing figure in Georgia politics, and he has been criticized even by his own party. In September 2023, Moore was suspended from the Republican caucus after calling for a special session to investigate Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis. Willis had gained national attention for her investigation and subsequent indictment of former President Donald Trump.
Moore’s suspension was a result of multiple infractions of caucus rules in his campaign against Willis, and Senate Republicans declared he would no longer be allowed to participate in caucus activities.
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