Minutes before the Tennessee House Republican supermajority voted to expel Rep. Justin Jones under the guise of violating decorum, the Democratic lawmaker shared some of his experiences with his soon-to-be-former colleagues, including what he suggested is thinly-veiled racism.
Jones criticized Republican Rep. Gino Bulso, saying: “While my colleague’s statement here was eloquent, what he was essentially saying was that Justin is an ‘uppity negro.'”
Mockingly describing GOP Rep. Bulso’s plea that lawmakers vote to expel him, the Democrat said: “‘How dare he point out the Speaker and call a lie a lie? How dare he act like he’s your equal? How dare he come before this body and not bow down?’ That’s what Representative Bulso was saying.”
“And that’s what he told me on the elevator two days ago when he tried to incite violence against me and got in my face and said, ‘you are a damn disgrace,’ and I said, ‘Representative Bulso, hold on, let me pull out my phone, can you say that again?’ And he cowered and chose not to repeat it because he did not want the world to see what a disgrace he is for Williamson County voters.”
Rep. Bulso told his fellow lawmakers that by expelling the three Democrats for violating decorum, the rules of the House, by protesting in the well to support their constituents angered at gun violence after last week’s mass school shooting, “we are upholding our constitution. We are protecting the integrity of this body.”
Watch Rep. Jones’ remarks below or at this link.