Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr is refusing to say whether he plans to investigate the legally questionable arrest of a GOP state senator during last week’s State of the State address, The Federalist has learned.

The incident in question came to fruition last Thursday, when Sen. Colton Moore attempted to enter the House of Representatives to listen to Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address to joint members of the Georgia General Assembly. The GOP senator was previously banished from the lower chamber last year by Republican Speaker Jon Burns after criticizing the apparent corruption of late Speaker David Ralston, Burns’ predecessor.

Burns sent a letter to Moore on Jan. 14, notifying him that he is “not allowed to enter the House Chamber” to attend Kemp’s Thursday address unless he “deliver[s] a sincere apology to the family, extended family, and loved ones of former Speaker David Ralston from the floor of the Senate” before then. In his Jan. 15 response, Moore called the speaker’s notice “unconstitutional, illegal, and the most disgraceful piece of correspondence issued by a legislator in the history of the State of Georgia,” and threatened to take legal action against Burns and “any others found to be inappropriately interfering or otherwise obstructing any Senator or Representative from discharging their duties.”

The senator cited the Georgia Constitution, which states, “The members of both houses shall be free from arrest during sessions of the General Assembly, or committee meetings thereof, and in going thereto or returning therefrom, except for treason, felony, or breach of the peace. No member shall be liable to answer in any other place for anything spoken in either house or in any committee meeting of either house.”

Upon trying to enter the House for Kemp’s remarks, Moore was detained by Georgia State Patrol officers and was subsequently taken to Fulton County Jail.

Following the incident, Burns defended having Moore arrested and accused the Republican senator of “creat[ing] a dangerous situation” by trying to enter the lower chamber. The speaker seemingly reversed course following a wave of public backlash, announcing on Friday he lifted his ban prohibiting Moore from entering the House.

Despite lingering questions about the legality of Burns’ actions, Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, is remaining mum on if he’s probing the constitutionality of Moore’s arrest. When pressed on whether he is currently investigating or planning to investigate the senator’s arrest and the events leading up to it, Carr’s office did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment.

The state attorney general’s press release page and Carr’s personal and official X accounts are, at the time of publication, also void of any mention of Moore’s arrest.

Carr — who is running to be Georgia’s 2026 Republican gubernatorial nominee — did, however, post on his official X account congratulating Kemp “on a powerful State of the State focused on critical issues.”

“Proud to stand with him in the fight against gangs & human trafficking—together, we’re making Georgia safer & stronger!” Carr wrote on Thursday.

Moore responded to Carr’s post on X the following day. The Republican senator wrote, “I didn’t get to see [Kemp’s address]. Too busy living in a STATE OF TYRANNY. Stopped by your office the day before to get an emergency legal opinion of @JonBurnsGA abuse of power. Still waiting to hear back….”

Moore’s office did not respond to The Federalist’s request for comment on whether Carr or his office has contacted the senator regarding his arrest and any potential investigation into the matter. The senator’s team also did not respond when asked whether Moore intends to take any form of legal action against Burns and the other individuals involved in his arrest.

Last week’s controversy isn’t the first instance in which Moore has clashed with members of the state’s GOP leadership.

The senator was notably kicked out of the Georgia Senate Republican Caucus in late 2023 after he called on Kemp to convene a special session of the legislature to investigate Fulton County DA Fani Willis’ lawfare against President Donald Trump and more than a dozen others regarding their actions in the 2020 election. As The Federalist’s Tristan Justice recently reported, the Georgia Court of Appeals removed Willis and her office from the case last month “after a series of scandals exposed gross impropriety.”

Shawn Fleetwood is a staff writer for The Federalist and a graduate of the University of Mary Washington. He previously served as a state content writer for Convention of States Action and his work has been featured in numerous outlets, including RealClearPolitics, RealClearHealth, and Conservative Review. Follow him on Twitter @ShawnFleetwood