State Representative Rusty Grills (R-Newbern) strongly defended Tennessee’s newly passed congressional map during an exclusive interview Friday morning, describing the day prior’s protests inside the Tennessee Capitol during proceedings as “mob rule” and accusing Democratic lawmakers and activists of deliberately disrupting legislative business.
On Thursday, the Tennessee General Assembly approved legislation creating a new congressional map that, among other changes, divides the City of Memphis among three congressional districts.
Republican leaders said the changes were designed to better align congressional representation with Tennessee’s conservative electorate.
Speaking on The Michael Patrick Leahy Show, Grills said protesters and Democratic lawmakers attempted to obstruct the legislative process throughout the three-day special session.
“I think they’re doing pretty much what they do best, and that’s become obstructionist,” Grills said. “When they want to talk about civility, they want to talk about doing things in a manner, disagreeing agreeably, that’s not the way they operate anymore.”
Grills described arriving at the Capitol before the session began and encountering increasingly loud demonstrations.
“By 9:00 o’clock, man, that place was — they were cranked up, and there was lots of volume outside the chambers,” he said. “The east side [of the chamber], they disrupted several times, and the Speaker had to remove them.”
The Republican lawmaker claimed many demonstrators were not from Tennessee and suggested organizers brought in outside activists.
“When the governor announced the special session, they were gonna have the ability to mobilize and hire the best agitators and instigators and protesters across the nation and bring them to Tennessee,” Grills said. “And they shipped them in, I’m sure like they’ve done in many other states.”
During the special session, Democratic lawmakers and protesters used whistles, air horns, chants, and demonstrations to protest the map changes. State troopers eventually removed demonstrators from parts of the Capitol galleries.
Grills recounted an incident involving 75-year-old State Representative Kelly Keisling (R-Byrdstown) as lawmakers exited the Capitol following the vote. According to Grills, protesters physically confronted the veteran Republican lawmaker as legislators were walking down steps near the Cordell Hull Building.
“I heard something, turned around and looked, and he was being pushed,” Grills said. “Myself and [another representative] grabbed his right arm, I grabbed his left arm, and we pulled him away from the protesters.”
Grills said Keisling, whom he described as “an older…real good man,” was nearly knocked off balance while descending the stairs.
“They were behind him, and we helped Mr. Kelly,” Grills said. “We’re walking down, so it’s a lot easier to push someone down than it is to push someone up.”
He said Republican members were also subjected to aggressive shouting and profanity as they left the Capitol complex.
“The whole time, we’re being screamed at from our ears,” Grills said. “Just horrible language. I do not use that type of language. My friends do not use that type of language. That’s just not acceptable in a democratic republic.”
Grills also addressed the viral confrontation involving State Representative Justin J. Pearson (D-Memphis) and Tennessee Highway Patrol troopers after Pearson’s brother, KeShaun Pearson, was detained following the protests.
“I watched it as it was taking place,” Grills said. “He used some language that it’s not fit for a Sunday school teacher to use…Yet this is a Tennessee state representative talking to the Tennessee state troopers in this manner…That’s the guy that was going to potentially be the next congressman for the 9th Congressional District.”
Grills praised the conduct of state troopers during the incident.
“These state troopers did a phenomenal job of keeping their cool,” he said. “When you got someone yelling at you, getting right in your face — but they’re not touching you — it’s hard work.”
Grills characterized the demonstrations as “mob rule,” arguing protesters and Democratic members resorted to disruption because they could not stop the legislation through debate.
“When you can’t win with your ideas, you have to go to other tactics…socialists will stop at nothing. The end justifies the means in their eyes,” he said.
While Republicans have argued the map changes are constitutional and reflect Tennessee voters’ longstanding preference for conservative leadership, Democrats, however, have called the plan an attempt to dilute black voting power in Memphis.
Grills rejected criticism that the process was unfair and pointed to congressional maps drawn by Democrats in other states.
“They’ve done it in Illinois. They’ve done it in California,” Grills said. “Look at Massachusetts… Guess how many Republican representatives they have up there in Congress? Zilch.”
“One thing about Democrats, they do not have to worry about being hypocrites because that’s something that they’ll never be accused of because the left-wing media…will never hold them accountable,” he added.
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Kaitlin Housler is a reporter at The Tennessee Star and The Star News Network. Follow Kaitlin on X.
Photo “Rusty Grills” by Rusty Grills.
Confederate soldiers are not the problem. Mob rule is. When are some going to be arrested for attempting to start a riot?
A mob…. Did it rise to the level of July 12, 2001? Was anything damaged? Windows broken??