Univision’s Friday morning report on the expulsion of two Tennessee state representatives went mostly as expected, with emphasis on racism and gun control. But morning show news anchor Satcha Pretto closed the report by blowing both of those up.
This exchange at the end shows how Pretto makes the studio uncomfortable and states the obvious yet unspoken reason for the expulsion of the lawmakers:
ELYANGELICA GONZALEZ: President Biden issued a statement condemning the incident, saying: "Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee." I’ll tell you that this is an action that the Tennessee House has used on very few occasions since the Civil War.Thousands of people flocked to the outskirts of the State House to support the two expelled legislators. They can run for their seats again in a special election but at this time, as I initially stated, the controversy is set around whether the racial issue was precisely what motivated these expulsions.
SATCHA PRETTO: Or what some believe also, the incitement of violence very similar to what happened during the January 6th assault on the Capitol.
The irony of it is that one only has to imagine the howling coverage on Univision had a Republican member of Congress escorted January 6th protesters into the House chamber, with concomitant calls for expulsion if not outright incarceration. Suffice it to say, none of the videos shown in the packages depicts the moment that the Tennessee lawmakers joined protesters inside the House chamber, and interrupted the proceedings with bullhorns. This enabled Univision to play up to the racism angle while furthering their gun control biases.
Were it not for Pretto’s throwaway line, we’d never hear the J6 comparison, which is the most accurate when it comes to the insurrection-adjacent conduct of the Tennessee Three.
Click here to view the full report as aired on Univision’s Despierta América on Friday, April 7th, 2023:
SATCHA PRETTO: First, I want to tell you that two of the three Democratic legislators from the Tennessee House, accused of participating in a protest in favor of gun control, have been expelled. The Republican majority votes for their removal and this triggers strong protests and even a reaction from the White House. We are talking about a community that is hurting after the death of three children and three adults at a school in Nashville. Elyangélica González is here live with the details, and of course many believe that it is a big controversy, Elyangélica.
ELYANGELICA GONZALEZ: That's how it is. A controversy that has to do with racism specifically, as it is currently being discussed. I'm going to tell you, and you friends, that the president hammered Tennessee lawmakers for choosing to silence and expel two Democrats instead of achieving more gun control. Here is the story.
JUSTIN JONES: We’ll see you on Monday.
GONZALEZ: They are recognized as the Tennessee Three. "We will continue to fight so that no more lives are lost to the epidemic of gun violence," said one, in reference to a GOP-dominated vote that removed Justin Pearson and Justin Jones from their seats. Expulsion votes are rare in Tennessee, and have been used in the past against members for misconduct. Democrat Gloria Johnson stated: "I know the rules sometimes have to be broken and you have to get into good trouble," after being the only one to escape the removal vote of the Republican supermajority. Her African-American colleagues could not. "It may have to do with the color of our skin," Johnson opined after the session. "You cannot ignore the racial dynamic of what happened today, two young black legislators are expelled and the only white woman is not, that is a statement in itself," claimed Pearson. The Republican speaker of the Tennessee House denies that a racial element had an effect on the vote. "There are consequences for the action they committed, I voted in favor of all three. Obviously I thought all three should have been expelled," he said. State Republicans voted to charge the trio with disorderly conduct and violations of House chamber decorum, when they joined gun control protesters inside the compound after the shooting at a Nashville school. President Biden issued a statement condemning the incident, saying: "Rather than debating the merits of the issue, these Republican lawmakers have chosen to punish, silence, and expel duly-elected representatives of the people of Tennessee." I’ll tell you that this is an action that the Tennessee House has used on very few occasions since the Civil War. Thousands of people flocked to the outskirts of the State House in order to support the two expelled lawmakers. They can run for their seats again in a special election but at this time, as I initially stated, the debate is open as to whether the racial issue was precisely what motivated these expulsions.
PRETTO: Or what some believe also, the incitement of violence-
ALAN TACHER: That’s right.
PRETTO: …very similar to what happened during the January 6th assault on the Capitol.
