Rep. John
Lewis, D-Ga., said the Russian government’s apparent interference with the U.S.
election delegitimizes Donald Trump’s victory.
The civil rights leader told “Meet the Press” moderator
Chuck Todd that he believes in forgiveness and working with others, but he said
it would be exceptionally hard for him to forge a relationship with President-elect
Trump.
“It’s going to be very difficult.
I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president,” he said in a
portion of the interview, published Friday.
When asked why he doesn’t
recognize Trump’s claim to the Oval Office, Lewis cited what the top U.S.
intelligence agencies have said: that Moscow directed a multilayered campaign
against the United States to denigrate one candidate and boost the other.
“I think the Russians participated
in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of
Hillary Clinton,” he told Todd.
Lewis said he does not plan to
attend Trump’s inauguration. This would mark the first time he skipped the
Inauguration Day ceremonies since he started representing Georgia’s 5th
Congressional District in 1987. The ceremonies are normally a celebration of
bipartisanship, and many Trump critics — including Bill and Hillary Clinton —
plan to be there. Several other House Democrats have also said they plan to boycott
the event.
No comments:
Post a Comment