On Friday, President Biden spoke with the three Tennessee state lawmakers who were expelled over their participation in a protest against gun violence on the House Floor and invited them to the White House.
As revealed in a statement by the White House, during the conference call from Camp David with Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones, Justin Pearson, and Gloria Johnson, President Biden thanked them for their efforts to “ban assault weapons” and for standing up for the nation’s “democratic values.” The officials also thanked the President for his efforts towards gun safety and for putting the spotlight on the “undemocratic and unprecedented attacks on them” from the State House in Tennessee.
President Biden proceeded to invite the three lawmakers to come to the White House, but a date for these visits has not yet been set.
On Thursday, Jones and Pearson were expelled from the legislature over their participation in the protests against guns in the state Capitol. The protests took place shortly after the mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, which resulted in the deaths of three adults and three 9-year-old children. Johnson, who was also a part of the protests, was not expelled for his participation.
Following the shooting, Jones, Johnson, and Pearson led the protests on the House floor last week, with chants such as “No action, no peace.” The resolutions for their expulsion focused on their decision to “knowingly and intentionally bring disorder and dishonor to the House of Representatives.”
