U.S. Senator Bill Nelson of Florida condemned the White House for excluding him from the meeting about gun control on Wednesday. The meeting was held in response to the horrific shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida.
Nelson’s absence during the White House meeting on gun control was notable since Republican colleague Sen. Marco Rubio was present. Florida Republican Representatives Brian Mast and John Rutherford and Democratic Representatives Ted Deutch and Stephhanie Murphy were also in attendance.
During an interview with MSNBC’s Meet the Press Daily, Nelson said the White House intentionally left him out and showed bias against him.
According to Nelson, “It was intentional. I’m not unhappy about it. I think it shows the excessive partisanship, if not of the President, of at least those around him.” The Democratic senator added, “What people want is they want us to come together in bipartisan agreement.”
Separately, Nelson’s aide told The Hill that the White House’s decision to not include the Democratic senator in the meeting was “all political.”
