Katie Porter Praised for Schooling Piers Morgan on 1/6 vs. Tennessee Three

Representative Katie Porter received praise online after a televised exchange in which she hit back against Piers Morgan for comparing the Tennessee Three to the January 6, 2021, Capital riot.

Democratic Tennessee State Representatives Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson were hit with votes for expulsion from the state house earlier this month after joining up with a group of demonstrators who entered the building to call for action against gun violence. Jones and Pearson, who are Black, were ultimately expelled by a majority of the state house, while Johnson, who is White, narrowly avoided the same fate.

While Republicans in the state house claimed the expulsion was on the grounds of disorderly conduct, many accused the move of being an attempt to squash Democratic dissent. Jones and Pearson were swiftly reinstated to their seats by the county commission boards in their districts, after receiving a considerable national spotlight.

During a Saturday appearance on CNN Tonight, Morgan, a British journalist and TV host known for his conservative views, argued that the actions of the Tennessee Three were similar to those of the January 6 rioters, insinuating hypocrisy among those who cheered the former and condemned the latter.

"And [the Tennessee Three] interrupted the proceedings which, of course, when that happened on January the 6th in a much larger and more violent way, all the people currently cheering on the two Tennessee legislators were the ones who would have been condemning and castigating what happened," Morgan said.

In response, Porter, a California Democrat and another guest on that night's episode, hit back against the comparison and highlighted the violence of the January 6 rioters.

"Listen, the principle is different," Porter said. "They were Tennessee legislators who went into the chamber and admittedly broke the rules of decorum partly because they were being silenced when they wanted to talk following the rules of decorum about gun violence prevention."

She continued: "What happened on January 6 was a bunch of bats**t, crazy f**kers with guns. Who killed police people. Piers, that's not the same."

In response to the exchange, numerous viewers praised Porter for pushing back against Morgan's comparison.

"Whoa. Watching Rep. Katie Porter absolutely flame Piers Morgan after he conflated the Tennessee Three with January 6th protesters was INCREDIBLE," Democratic organizer Victor Shi tweeted. "Katie Porter is an absolute icon & we need more people like her who will call out lies & hold people accountable."

"I appreciate Rep. Katie Porter for cooking Piers Morgan after he tried to equate the January 6 attack on democracy with the Tennessee Three's effort to strengthen it," former Kentucky State Representative Charles Booker added in his own tweet.

Porter has represented districts in Orange County, California, since 2019. She is also running for the U.S. Senate seat set to be vacated by the retiring Senator Dianne Feinstein.

Newsweek reached out to the Tennessee Democratic Party's press office via email for comment.