Cong. Alan Lowenthal Reverses Himself, Now Says He Won't Attend Trump Inaugural Because...
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(Jan. 18, 2017, 2:30 p.m.) -- Cong. Alan Lowenthal (D, Long Beach-West OC) today (Jan. 18) issued a statement (which LBREPORT.com publishes in full below) announcing that he won't attend the inauguration of President Donald Trump.
Cong. Lowenthal's statement refers to a controversy that began when Cong. John Lewis (D, GA), a Civil Rights icon after surviving a savage police beating in the 1965 Selma Alabama Civic Rights march, who told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he doesn't see Mr. Trump as a "legitimate President" and doesn't plan to attend Trump's inauguration.
[NBC News Meet the Press, Jan. 15, 2017]
CHUCK TODD: Do you plan on trying to forge a relationship with Donald Trump?
CONG. LEWIS: No. I believe forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It's going to be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president.
MR. TODD: You do not consider him a legitimate president. Why is that?
CONG. LEWIS: I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected and they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton. I don't plan to attend the inauguration. It'll be the first one that I've missed since I've been in the U.S. Congress...
...I think there was a conspiracy on the part of the Russians and others that helped him get elected. That's not right. That's not fair. That's not the open, democratic process.
President-elect Trump responded via Twitter:
[President-elect Trump Twitter text] Congressman John Lewis 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. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!
And President-elect Trump subsequently charged via Twitter that part of what Cong. Lewis told NBC News about Lewis' record wasn't accurate:
John Lewis said about my inauguration, 'It will be the first one that I’ve missed.' WRONG (or lie)! He boycotted Bush 43 also because he thought it would be hypocritical to attend Bush's swearing-in because...he doesn’t believe Bush is the true elected president.' Sound familiar!
LBREPORT.com publishes Cong. Lowenthal's Jan. 18 statement in full below:
[Cong. Lowenthal Jan. 18 statement text] "This has been a difficult decision for me as I have the utmost respect for the office of the President and the peaceful transfer of executive power embodied in the inauguration.
"However, President-elect Trump's recent attacks on Rep. John Lewis were beyond the pale and served as a tipping point which made me re-evaluate my original intention to attend.
"John Lewis is nothing short of a true American hero. He bravely put his life on the line, numerous times, all to bend the long arc of history toward a more justice-filled future for all Americans.
"On inauguration day, our nation invests the President-elect with executive power. We do not anoint the President with respect. Respect must be earned. Donald Trump, in his attacks on Rep. Lewis, and minorities, and women, and the disabled, has yet done little to earn my respect.
"For that reason, and in solidarity with those he has attacked, I have decided not to attend the inauguration. I sincerely hope that over the next four years President Trump will work hard to earn the respect of all Americans, not just those who voted for him. The American people deserve it and the office of the President requires it."
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Cong. Lowenthal now joins roughly 50 Congressmembers (at last count) -- all Dems and most from CA (we list CA Congressmembers first below) who've indicated they won't be attending the President Trump's inauguration (source below is RollCall's latest list):
Congressmembers Mark Takano (D, CA); Ted Lieu (D, CA); Barbara Lee (D, CA); Mark Desaulnier (D, CA); Judy Chu (D, CA); Karen Bass (D, CA); Jared Huffman (D, CA); Maxine Waters (D, CA); Lucille Roybal-Allard (D, CA); Zoe Lofgren (D, CA), Grace Napolitano (D, CA), Raul Ruiz (D, CA); Tony Cardenas (D, CA); Jerry McNerney (D, CA); John Lewis (D, GA), Steve Cohen (D, TN), Jerrold Nadler (D, NY), Don Beyer (D, VA), Yvette Clarke (D, NY), Raul Grijalva (D, AZ), John Conyers (D, MI), Rep. Nydia Velazquez (D, NY), Kurt Schrader (D, OR), Pramila Jayapal (D, WA), William Lacy Clay (D, MO), Jos Serrano (D, NY), Luis Gutierrez (D, IL), Katherine Clark (D, MA), Earl Blumenauer (D, OR), Keith Ellison (D, MI), Adriano Espaillat (D, NY), Mark Pocan (D, WI), Marcia Fudge (D, OH), Al Green (D, TX), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D, NJ), Anthony Brown (D, MD), Chellie Pingree (D, ME), John Yarmouth (D, KY), Dwight Evans (D, PA), Adam Smith (D, WA), Darren Sotto (D, FL), Ruben Gallego (D, AZ), G.K. Butterfield (D, NC), Joaquin Castro (D, TX), Mike Doyle (D, PA), Carol Shea-Porter (D, NH), Donald M. Payne (D, NJ), Alma Adams (D, N.C.), Brendan F. Boyle (D, PA), Robert A. Brady (D, PA), Frederica Wilson (D, FL), and Peter A. DeFazio (D, OR).
