GOP Rep Takes Heat For Selling During Pivotal Vote

The Tennessee House of Representatives held a vote on Thursday to expel three Democratic members who participated in a gun control protest from the House floor last week. The vote resulted in the expulsion of Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones and a failed vote to expel Rep. Gloria Johnson by one vote.

State Representative Jody Barrett told leadership that he would vote to expel Johnson; however, at the last second, he swapped his vote. The outrage that followed the Tennessee GOP can all be traced back to him.

Barrett attempted to explain himself.

The vote to expel the House reps was met with criticism from MSNBC hosts and commentators who used Christianity to attack the decision. Speaking on The ReidOut, Rev. Mark Thompson compared the situation of the three Democrats to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ alongside two criminals on Good Friday. Host Joy Reid followed up by attacking Republicans as apostates for calling themselves Christians while supporting the Second Amendment.

On The Beat with Ari Melber, guest host Jason Johnson referenced Easter along with the anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination on April 4 to remind viewers that governments tend to “kill Black men” fighting oppression.

During the House vote, Rep. Jones also invoked Jesus’ crucifixion and death on Good Friday in response to Tennessee Republicans’ actions. Jones said, “My savior, my Black Jesus, he was lynched by the government on Friday. And they thought that all hope had been lost. I don’t know how long this Saturday in the state of Tennessee might last. But, oh, we have good news, folks. We’ve got good news, that Sunday always comes. Resurrection is a promise and it is a prophecy. It’s a prophecy that came out of the cotton fields. It’s a prophecy that came out of the lynching tree. It’s a prophecy that still lives in each and every one of us in order to make the state of Tennessee the place that it ought to be And so I’ve still got hope because I know we are still here and we will never quit.”

Fox News