Black lawmakers consider boycotting Trump’s inauguration en masse after attack on John Lewis
Black lawmakers are considering staying away from Donald Trump’s Friday inauguration after the president-elect attacked civil rights icon Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) over the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend.
According to Buzzfeed News, the Congressional Black Caucus has not discussed a full boycott and is leaving it up to individual members to decide whether they would attend, with an official statement from the group due on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
On Saturday Trump hit back at Lewis, who questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency in an interview with NBC, tweeting attacks at the civil rights hero, claiming the congressman is all “talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!”
According to Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA), she will not attend now — nor will Reps. Lewis, John Conyers (D-MI) and Lacy Clay (D-MO).
“I respect the peaceful transition of power, so this is not a decision I came to lightly,” Lee said in an email. “After taking into consideration the concerning and divisive circumstances that led to the Trump presidency, I realized I could not in good conscience attend his inauguration.” ...