I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected, and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.
-Rep. John Lewis
Congressman and Modern Civil Rights veteran John Lewis held no punches following a classified Congressional hearing with FBI Director James Comey. What has been declassified confirmed rumors that Vladimir Putin had, in fact, ordered the intervention of the US election to benefit the Donald Trump campaign. Lewis went far enough to call Trump an “illegitimate president”, a sentiment shared by many of the Congressman who accompanied him in the hearing. John Lewis, with a handful of his colleagues, decided he would not condone the 2017 Presidential Inauguration with his attendance. As Rachel Maddow put it, that number would have probably remained insignificant had Trump not stepped into the conversation.
The president-elect took to Twitter for his verbal altercation with Rep. Lewis. He never seemed to address the entail against him. Rather, he chose to undermine Lewis’ credibility as a politician and as a public servant– going as far to say that Lewis is “All talk, no action.” Congressman John Lewis, whom sustained life threatening injuries during the historic Bllody Sunday in Selma, Alabama. Having endured the fight against white supremacy for over half a century, he is apparently “all talk’. President-elect Donald Trump spent Martin Luther King Jr. Day weekend insulting one of King’s closest allies.
It didn’t take long for the handful of inagural protesters to grow to nearly 50 Congressmen in both major parties. From members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) to conservative republicans, dozens rallied online with #IStandWithJohnLewis. Many of whom vowed to skip the January 20th event simply out of respect for Lewis.
Rep. Lewis also protested the 2001 inaguration of president George W. Bush following the controversy of the Florida recount. It is quite common for a few Congressman to sit out of these events for one reason or another. However, not since the inauguration of President Nixon have so many elected officials refused to attend the ceremony. In fact, the 2017 Inaugural Boycott could be the largest in United States History.