By Eugene Scott
A growing number of Democratic lawmakers are boycotting President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, particularly after revelations of Russia’s alleged meddling in the 2016 election.
Some members of Congress have said they will be protesting in DC and in their districts instead. Here’s a list of Democrats who have publicly said they won’t be at the ceremony Friday.
Illinois Rep. Luis Gutierrez
“I cannot go to (the) inauguration of a man who’s going to appoint people to the Supreme Court and turn back the clock on women and turn back the clock on immigrants and the safety and freedom that we fought for them,” Gutierrez said last month on CNN’s “New Day.”
Georgia Rep. John Lewis
The civil rights icon declared Friday that he would boycott the event because he doesn’t see Trump as a “legitimate” president in light of Russian interference.
“You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong,” Lewis told NBC News.
Trump harshly responded Saturday, calling Lewis “all talk” and “no action” and saying he should focus more on “fixing and helping” his district rather than “complaining” about the Russia’s role.
California Rep. Mark Takano
“‘All talk, no action.’ I stand with @repjohnlewis and I will not be attending the inauguration,” Takano tweeted Saturday.
Arizona Rep. Raul Grijalva
“I will not be attending the inauguration of Donald Trump as our next president,” the Congressional Progressive Caucus co-chair said Friday on the House floor. “My absence is not motivated by disrespect for the office or motivated by disrespect for the government that we have in this great democracy, but as an individual act, yes, of defiance at the disrespect shown to millions and millions of Americans by this incoming administration, and the actions we are taking in this Congress.”
California Rep. Mark DeSaulnier
“It is with a heavy heart and deep personal conviction that I have decided not to attend the #TrumpInauguration on January 20, 2017,” the California lawmaker tweeted Friday.
New York Rep. Nydia Velazquez
Velazquez tweeted Friday that she will be participating in a women’s march protesting policies that activists say are harmful to American women.
“I will not be attending inauguration of @realDonaldTrump but WILL participate in the @womensmarch on January 21st,” she tweeted.
California Rep. Barbara Lee
Lee said she’ll spend the day “preparing for resistance.”
“Donald Trump has proven that his administration will normalize the most extreme fringes of the Republican Party. On Inauguration Day, I will not be celebrating. I will be organizing and preparing for resistance,” she said Thursday in a statement.
California Rep. Jared Huffman
“I have decided that instead of attending the inaugural ceremonies in Washington this month, I’ll spend time in California with my constituents making a positive difference in our community,” he wrote on Facebook Tuesday. “From helping to build homes for local families to pitching in on cleaning up flood debris to welcoming new US citizens at a naturalization ceremony — it will be an action-packed couple of days. Stay tuned here for more details.”
Massachusetts Rep. Katherine Clark
“I support the peaceful transition of power, but I don’t feel that I need to attend the pageantry associated with and for this president,” she told the Boston Globe earlier this month.
Oregon Rep. Earl Blumenauer
“There is unprecedented concern by my constituents about the many threats posed by a Trump administration seeking to implement the President-elect’s policies on health, environment, nuclear weapons, and immigration, to name but a few,” he said on Facebook.
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