Former President Barack Obama says the expulsion of two Tennessee lawmakers who participated in a gun violence protest is a “sign of weakness.”
In a statement on Twitter, Mr. Obama said silencing dissenters won’t help.
“What happened in Tennessee is the latest example of a broader erosion of civility and democratic norms,” Mr. Obama said. “Silencing those who disagree with us is a sign of weakness, not strength, and it won’t lead to progress.”
He said elected officials should not lose their jobs for speaking out.
“This nation was built on peaceful protest,” Mr. Obama said. “No elected official should lose their job simply for raising their voice – especially when they’re doing it on behalf of our children.”
The Tennessee Republican-majority House voted on Thursday to expel Democratic state Reps. Justin Jones of Nashville and Justin Pearson of Memphis for protesting gun violence on the House floor after a mass shooting at a private Christian school in Nashville left six dead in addition to the shooter. Rep. Gloria Johnson of Knoxville, who also took part in the protest in the legislature, survived her expulsion vote.
President Biden called the expulsions “shocking” and “undemocratic.”
