Tennessee State Representatives Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) are looking to cash in on their expulsion battles — and their friends on the far-left are, too.
Jones and Pearson, who were expelled last week from the Republican-led House of Representatives, are back in their seats after each was reinstated this week — Jones on Monday, Pearson on Wednesday. They were removed from their positions after being accused of inciting a riot on the House floor amid a chaotic protest demanding gun control laws. State Representative Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), who helped lead the protest, survived expulsion by one vote.
As The Tennessee Star reported, a team of attorneys led by Eric Holder, attorney general under former President Barack Obama, threatened legal action against House Speaker Cam Sexton (R-Crossville) in demanding the far-left lawmakers be returned to their seats.
Jones, Pearson, and Johnson have made the public-relations rounds, peddling their story of “racism” and “discrimination” to a sympathetic corporate media, including an appearance on Good Morning America.
But what they see as vindication in their return to the House appears to be just the beginning of a “movement” funded by lots of money to Democrats.
“May we continue to build this Movement #TN3,” Pearson wrote in a tweet earlier this week. He thanked Holder and crew for their legal representation, which, sources told The Star, is far from over in a liberal lawfare campaign to shake down Republican leadership and Tennessee taxpayers over a ginned-up civil rights battle.
It’s been the honor of my life to serve District 86 as their State House Representative. I want nothing more than to serve again & I’m thankful that Scott Crosby @burchporter is representing us alongside @brotherjones_ & @EricHolder. May we continue to build this Movement! #TN3 pic.twitter.com/vPLR0UtF2c
— Justin J. Pearson (@Justinjpearson) April 10, 2023
Pearson’s legislative campaign is asking for seed money for said movement. Money for “justice,” the campaign claims — in payments of $5, $25, $50, and more.
Knox County Democrats raised $10,000 in 48 hours for Johnson’s “legal defense” or special election, despite the fact she was not expelled from the House. The fundraising push came after members of the Tennessee House voted 72-23 along party lines on a resolution to consider expulsion of the three Democrats, Matt Shears, chair of the Knox County Democratic Party, told the Tennessee Lookout.
National Democrats opened their wallets wide as they continued to drive the narrative that the violation of myriad Tennessee House rules and an unruly mob storming the chamber’s floor was nothing more than a “peaceful protest.”
U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) launched a fundraiser for Jones and Pearson through the Democratic Party’s cash channel, actblue.com. The appeal reportedly raised more than $250,000 overnight — perhaps enough cash to get Holder and the high-priced team of attorneys started.
“The anti-gun violence movement is just a powerhouse. We are unstoppable,” Murphy said.
But conservatives say the “movement” is much more about liberal power and the money it takes to sustain it.
Aaron Gulbranson, state director of the Tennessee Faith and Freedom Coalition, said Jones, Pearson, Johnson, and their well-heeled liberal friends are “dancing on the graves” of the dead in the horrific Covenant School shootings. That’s what the Democrats said their gun control protest was supposed to be about — the three children and three staff members gunned down by another deranged killer. The left, of course, quickly shifted the story from the transgender woman who identified as a man behind the gun to gun violence in America.
Pearson’s campaign didn’t name the shooter, Audrey Hale, only describing Hale as a “person with an assault rifle.” And the real victims, according to Pearson, are Pearson, Jones, and Johnson.
Interestingly, the left and their allies in the corporate media railed against Tennessee Republicans, insisting they were launching fundraising efforts “to cash in” on the expulsion of “two Black Democrats … as their removal prompted some to accuse the party of racism.”
“Regardless of the criticism, the Tennessee GOP appears to have decided to use the expulsions as a fundraising opportunity,” Newsweek reported. “In an email sent to potential donors on Friday, the party reportedly touted the move as a victory for “the rules, the laws, and the prestige of the State of Tennessee.”
The fundraising efforts of Jones, Pearson, Johnson, and their liberal friends have been celebrated as funding for democracy and justice by the same media.
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M.D. Kittle is the National Political Editor for The Star News Network.
Photo “Justin Jones” by Justin Jones. Photo “Justin Pearson” by Justin Pearson.
Editor’s Note: Aaron Gulbranson was formerly a lead reporter at The Tennessee Star.
As usual the Democrats raise money on LIES. There is no way LAW Abiding TN citizens are going to allow their 2nd Amendment to be infringed. We want to harden schools by arming staff or hiring armed Security. The TRANS murderer chose Covenant School bc it was a Soft Target.
Pearson transformed his entire persona at a training program called YEAR UP funded by the Clinton Global Initiative. The YEAR UP Website recruits Black youth & pays them a salary ($52K) They call this employment. Basically they are trained to be race activists. Since Saul Alinski was Hillary’s mentor, I can imagine they were indoctrinated in Alinski’s “RULES FOR RADICALS” in their training. Saul Alinski dedicated his Communist methods to Lucifer. Pearson seems to think he has morphed into the new MLK. MLK would never endorse the Democrat Party today. He is a tool of the LEFT. He has completely changed his manner of speaking with cadence like some Southern preacher.
These 20 somethings did not mention the Covenant School Shooting bc the murderer was a mentally suicidal TRANS. It’s the new insane thing the Left wants everyone to submit to bc Roe vs Wade was overturned, so they needed a new method of stopping reproduction of babies. Since Christians will not submit to that evil, they are now the Target of the Communists running our government in DC.
Abortion, Covid, Wars, Fentanyl, Crime, Inflation, CRT, DEI & ESG all planned to destroy America.
Three people, who disrupted the business of our Tennessee House while it was in Session, broke the House Rules which they took an oath to uphold. They don’t deserve the privilege of serving in the Tennessee General Assembly. Even though they have been reinstated, I hope they lose the Committees they were assigned to. Also I’m glad they have to run again for reelection in a Special Election, which costs the taxpayers a significant amount of money. I do hope someone will run against them, since they were unopposed last time.
We will fight this evil as long as it exists.
Just like typical Democrats using anything they can to raise money to push their twisted narrative.