Former President Obama late on Thursday said that the expulsion of Tennessee lawmakers after they participated in a gun violence protest on the House floor is a “sign of weakness,” arguing that silencing dissenters won’t lead to progress.
“What happened in Tennessee is the latest example of a broader erosion of civility and democratic norms. Silencing those who disagree with us is a sign of weakness, not strength, and it won’t lead to progress,” the former president tweeted.
He added that elected officials should not lose their jobs for speaking out, especially when the protests are geared toward protecting children.
“This nation was built on peaceful protest. No elected official should lose their job simply for raising their voice – especially when they’re doing it on behalf of our children,” Obama said.
President Biden on Thursday also blasted the expulsion, calling it “shocking” and “undemocratic.” Biden, who has renewed his calls for gun control legislation in the wake of the Nashville school shooting, touted that 7,000 Tennesseans, many of them students, marched to the state capitol to call on lawmakers to take action.
The president also blamed the lack of action on gun control on Republican officials, who he said “double down on dangerous bills that make our schools, places of worship, and communities less safe.”
The Tennessee Republican-controlled House on Thursday voted 72-25 to expel state Rep. Justin Jones (D-Nashville) and 69-26 to expel state Rep. Justin Pearson (D-Memphis) for their participation in the recent demonstrations. Rep. Gloria Johnson (D-Knoxville), who also participated, survived her expulsion vote.
The three lawmakers had joined a protest on the House floor calling for gun reforms in the wake of the Nashville school shooting last week, during which three 9-year-old children and three adults were killed. Jones, Johnson and Pearson, who led chants on the House floor last week, had also been stripped of their committee assignments.