Rep. Justin Jones, a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for District 52, representing parts of Nashville, reports that his Republican colleagues have “called on me to resign for declining to lead them in the pledge of allegiance.”
When the Tennessee legislature convened yesterday, Jones “quietly declined,” according to The New York Times. Republican Tennessee State Representative Jeremy Faison, who called for Jones’s resignation, called Jones’s behavior a “disgrace.”
Fasion wrote on X: “It is incredibly hypocritical and insulting to refuse pledging allegiance to the very flag that embodies our freedoms and the sacrifices of millions of Americans. If you do not respect our nation, its flag, and all of those who have sacrificed for them, then you should not hold public office.”
As elected officials, we swear an oath to defend the constitutions of both Tennessee and the United States. It is incredibly hypocritical and insulting to refuse pledging allegiance to the very flag that embodies our freedoms and the sacrifices of millions of Americans.
— Jeremy Faison (@JeremyFaison4TN) February 1, 2024
If you… https://t.co/pEM39vhsDl
The 28-year-old Jones explained why he opted not to lead the legislature in the pledge of allegiance: “I couldn’t bring myself to join their performative patriotism as they continue to support an insurrectionist for president and undermine liberty and justice for all.”
Yesterday, my Republican colleagues called on me to resign for declining to lead them in the pledge of allegiance.
— Rep. Justin Jones (@brotherjones_) February 2, 2024
I couldn’t bring myself to join their performative patriotism as they continue to support an insurrectionist for president and undermine liberty and justice for all
It’s not the first time Jones has riled up his Republican constituents. After the 2023 Covenant School shooting in Nashville, Jones and his colleague Rep. Justin Pearson were expelled “for violating decorum rules by participating in a gun control protest on the House floor.” (Both lawmakers were later reinstated.)
