KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — President Joe Biden spoke with three Tennessee Representatives on Friday after two were expelled from the House of Representatives.
On Thursday, representatives Justin Jones (D - Nashville), Justin Pearson (D - Shelby County), and Gloria Johnson (D - Knoxville) faced expulsion votes. They walked up to the "well" in the House of Representatives chamber during a protest where students advocated for gun restrictions, following a school shooting that killed three children and three adults in Nashville.
Representatives said Jones and Pearson were expelled for using a megaphone and displaying a sign. Johnson stood with them and kept her seat by a single vote. She later said they used a megaphone because they were concerned their microphones would be cut off as they had been in the past.
The White House said that President Biden thanked all three for their leadership and for seeking to ban assault weapons. They also released a statement on April 6 about the expulsion votes.
"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," the statement said.
On Friday, President Joe Biden also posted on social media saying he spoke with the Tennessee Three via teleconference.
"Earlier today, I spoke to Reps. Jones, Pearson, and Johnson to thank them for their leadership and courage in the face of a blatant disregard of our nation’s democratic values," he said in the post.
He also invited the Tennessee Three to The White House in the near future.