'Tennessee Three' lawmakers Justin Jones, Justin Pearson and Gloria Johnson to meet with Joe Biden at White House
WASHINGTON – Two Tennessee Democratic lawmakers who were expelled by Republicans from the state House after staging a protest on gun control and a third who survived an expulsion vote are heading to the White House.
President Joe Biden will meet with state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville, Justin Pearson of Memphis and Gloria Johnson of Knoxville at the White House on Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Biden spoke to the three Democrats earlier this month and thanked them for their leadership in seeking to ban assault weapons and for standing up for democratic values.
“The president looks forward to continuing that discussion with them,” Jean-Pierre said.
Tennessee three: What to know about the House Democrats targeted for expulsion by Republicans
House Republicans voted two weeks ago to expel Jones and Pearson, both of whom are Black, for their role in the protest on the statehouse floor. Johnson, who is white, dodged an expulsion by one vote.
The three Democrats staged their gun control protest following a mass shooting at a Nashville private Christian school that killed six people.
The expulsions turned into a national flashpoint on the issues of gun control and race and transformed all three lawmakers into prominent national figures.
Jones and Pearson have been since be reappointed to their seats by commissioners in Nashville and Memphis.
Jean-Pierre said Biden appreciated the lawmakers' efforts to push for gun control and believes it is important to have that kind of visibility on the issue.
"The president has been very clear about how important it is to take the next steps when it comes to gun reform, and he saw these three legislators as taking that next step," she said.
Michael Collins and Joey Garrison cover the White House. Follow Collins on Twitter @mcollinsNEWS and Garrison @joeygarrison.
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