By Brandon Moseley
Alabama Political Reporter
On Wednesday, January 28, 2017, US Representative Terri Sewell (D from Selma) announced that she would join fellow Democrats boycotting the inauguration of President Donald J. Trump (D) on Friday, January 20.
Congresswoman Sewell said, “Prayerfully, I have decided NOT to attend the inauguration. While I stand with my constituents in standing up for John Lewis, I am also deeply saddened by the negative political rhetoric on both sides. We must move forward together. There is a bridge in my district where we all can gain inspiration, and I invite President Trump and Congressman Lewis to join me in visiting Selma to walk hand-in-hand across that bridge as one nation, indivisible and united.”
According to original reporting by CNN, 49 other Democratic Party members of Congress have already announced plans to boycott the swearing in of President Trump.
The feud between President-elect Donald J. Trump and the venerable Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia) exploded on Sunday when Lewis told “Meet the Press” that he did not consider Donald Trump a legitimate President and he was boycotting the inauguration.
President-elect Donald J. Trump attacked Lewis on Twitter, “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!”
Pres. Trump continued, “Congressman John Lewis should finally focus on the burning and crime infested inner-cities of the US I can use all the help I can get!” “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…”
John Lewis is from Troy, Alabama. He gained historical immortality when he led a voting rights march over the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma attempting to march peacefully to Montgomery to demand changes in election laws. That nation was shocked and horrified at the violence when Gov. George C. Wallace (D) ordered the state troopers to try to stop the march, assisted by local police, and a white mob. Martin Luther King Jr. then came to Alabama and led a much bigger voting rights march. The resulting press coverage helped lead to passage of the Voting Rights Act giving the US Justice Department control of much of the election process in southern states, including Alabama. Lewis’s history makes him a particularly popular member of Congress, especially with his fellow Democrats.
The partisan feuding is threatening to overshadow the inauguration and is highlighting the bitter divide in the country.
Congresswoman Terri Sewell (D) represents Alabama’s Seventh Congressional District. She is the only Democrat in the Alabama congressional delegation.
