New York Times columnist David French called Thursday’s GOP-led expulsion of two Tennessee state Democrats unjust, but resurfaced tweets show him calling for the expulsion of Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz over their alleged roles in the January 6 Capitol riot.
The Tennessee House voted to expel two out of three Democratic members for leading what some have termed an “insurrection” involving demonstrators advocating for gun control in the state. The three members joined the group of activists in the building, joining in chants via bullhorn. (RELATED: David French To Join The New York Times As Opinion Columnist)
“This is exactly the kind of performative, punitive action that thrills the base but hurts the GOP,” French wrote Friday. “The expelled legislators will likely be back, soon, with higher profiles and a longer reach. The GOP will have acted unjustly without deterring or intimidating anyone.”
This exchange is key to understanding why the expulsion vote was so absurd. Sure, there can be a penalty for breach of decorum, but to toss Democrats out of office when a number of Republicans have behaved much worse gives the game away. /1 https://t.co/IBOXgjDpXq
— David French (@DavidAFrench) April 7, 2023
On two separate occasions previously, French called for the removal of Hawley and Cruz from the Senate in January, following the riot at the Capitol in 2021.
“Will our nation’s leaders at long last have the courage to seek justice? Impeach and remove Trump. Expel Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz,” French wrote on January 8, 2021.
“Oh, and impeach Trump. Remove him. Bar him from office. Expel Hawley and Cruz,” French wrote in another post. “And with that, I bow out. I appreciate all y’all.”