Tennessee state Rep. Jeremy Faison (R), chair of the state’s House Republican Caucus, made a dash for home after a testy CNN interview over the GOP-led state House’s historic expulsion of two Democrats for participating in a gun-control protest. (Watch below.)
Faison appeared on the network Thursday after the state House expelled two Democrats — Reps. Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, both Black — and allowed Rep. Gloria Johnson, who is white, to keep her seat. All three participated in a protest on the House floor in the wake of the Covenant School shooting that killed six people, including three children, in Nashville last month.
CNN’s Van Jones first grilled Faison over the Democrats’ ouster.
“Why did you not go to the Ethics Committee? Why did you not go through due process?” asked Jones.
“You want them to not be extreme, but you’re being extreme. Why is that?”
Faison called out Jones for being accusatory, and claimed the House followed the rules before Jones demanded more answers.
“Did you go to the Ethics Committee?” asked Jones.
“There’s actually you know, 71 I think, or 70 of the members who, after looking at what took place today, they voted to expel one of them,” Faison continued.
“Why did you not go to the Ethics Committee and do the things that are always done in that body. ... If you want respect and if you want for people to be reasonable, why are you being so unreasonable?” Jones continued.
Faison said the House didn’t want to go the ethics route.
Faison said the three Democrats had “worked up” a crowd of protestors earlier in the day. CNN correspondent Sara Sidner then pushed back on the claim.
“They were already quite worked up because they love their state and they love their kids and they want to see a safer place for the children and themselves, really,” Sidner said.
Faison then mentioned his three-and-a-half-hour commute home before abruptly cutting the interview short.
“Thank you for letting me speak with you, God bless, y’all,” he said as he shuffled off camera.