U.S. President-elect Donald Trump tore into civil rights legend John Lewis on Saturday for questioning the legitimacy of the his White House victory, intensifying a feud with the black congressman days before the national holiday honouring Martin Luther King Jr.
Mr. Trump tweeted that Mr. Lewis (Democrat-Georgia) “should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart [not to mention crime infested] rather than falsely complaining about the election results.” He added: “All talk, talk, talk — no action or results. Sad!”
16-term congressman
Mr. Lewis, among the most revered leaders of the civil rights movement, suffered a skull fracture during the march in Selma, Alabama, more than a half-century ago and has devoted his life to promoting equal rights for African-Americans.
Mr. Lewis, a 16-term congressman, said on Friday that he would not attend Mr. Trump’s swearing-in ceremony at the Capitol next Friday. It would mark the first time he had skipped an inauguration since joining Congress three decades ago.
“You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It’s going to be very difficult. I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate President,” Mr. Lewis said in an interview with NBC’s “Meet the Press” set to air Sunday.
“I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton,” Mr. Lewis said.
Rep. Ted Lieu, (Democrat-California) said he too would skip Mr. Trump’s inauguration.
The Democratic Party of Georgia called on Mr. Trump to apologise to Mr. Lewis and the people of his district.
On Twitter, Mr. Lewis earned support from Democratic colleagues — and a few Republicans. “Ahead of #MLKDay2017, let us remember that many have tried to silence @repjohnlewis over the years. All have failed,” said House Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi. “Rep. John Lewis was beaten, bloodied & arrested 40+ times marching for civil rights,” wrote Senator Chris Coons of Delaware. “He is a true American hero and represents the best of us.”
Battle for equality: John Lewis (far right) with Martin Luther King, Jr. leading a march in 1965 from Selma to Montgomery to protest restrictive voting rights.
Without directly denouncing Mr. Trump’s comments, Republican Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska linked to a photo of Mr. Lewis at a civil rights march, with the message, “John Lewis and his ‘talk’ have changed the world.”
On Saturday, some 2,000 demonstrators, the majority of them black, marched along the National Mall — the grassy esplanade that is home to major museums and monuments — to the park near the Martin Luther King Memorial.
