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Rep. John Lewis Doesn’t Believe Donald Trump Is ‘Legitimate’ President, Says Russians Ruined Hillary Clinton’s Candidacy

By Bradley Ryder
Published on: 08:55 PST, Jan 14, 2017

With days until his inauguration, one U.S. member of Congress is calling Donald Trump’s presidency into question and says he will not be a legitimate commander in chief when sworn into office on Jan. 20.

Rep. John Lewis spoke to NBC journalist Chuck Todd about the state of American politics going forward under a Trump Administration. The Civil Rights Movement icon made the bold claim that the election was tampered with by Russian interference and hacking, which he thinks derailed Hillary Clinton’s road to the White House.

Lewis is a longtime Georgia Democrat who has marched for freedom with Dr. Martin Luther King, took part in peaceful sit-ins at “white-only” counters during segregation, marched in Selma and was photographed being brutally beaten and arrested in 1965 by Alabama police during non-violent protests — infamously called “Bloody Sunday.” He spoke frankly and softly about his opposition to Trump as President of the United States of America.

Rep. Lewis has a strong record for reaching across the aisle and forging relationships on a bipartisan level. However, when the “Meet the Press” host pressed him on his thoughts about working with Trump during his presidency, he expressed irresolution.

“No, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. I think it’s going to be hard. It’s going to be difficult. I don’t see this President-elect as a legitimate president.”

A surprised Todd responded by restating the congressman’s response, to which Lewis added clarity.

“I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.”

In a strong rebuke to Donald Trump as a legitimate president, Congressman John Lewis said he has no plans to attend the President-elect’s inaugural. It will mark the first time in three decades that Lewis has missed a presidential ceremony.

“You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong,” Lewis added.

Todd charged that Lewis’ message is going to resonate all over Washington among critics and fellow party members. Lewis said he believes there was a “conspiracy” to derail Clinton’s campaign and hand the presidency to Trump. He added that he “think’s it’s not right, it’s not fair” and violates the democratic process.

As the Washington Post wrote, Lewis’ statements against Trump’s presidency are the first time a Democrat openly censured Donald Trump as a legitimate president. The President-elect took to Twitter and blasted the elder statesman.

Despite the contentious election, Clinton’s aides and other Democrats have stopped short of using language designed to dress down Trump as a legitimate commander in chief. During a segment of CNN’s “The Lead,” Jake Tapper asked Virginia Democratic Senator Joe Manchin if he thinks Trump is a legitimate incoming president.

“Absolutely,” he said, before adding, “We’ve got to move on. We’ve got to come together as a country.”

CNN hosted a panel of experts that chimed in on Lewis’ controversial statements and Trump’s Twitter response.

Clinton’s 2008 campaign manager, Patti Solis Doyle, said, “That was pain on his [Lewis] face. It pained him to say those words,” she said. “For Donald Trump to come out and say that he is a man of no action and all talk, talk, talk, is really disgraceful,” she added.

Political commentator, Alice Stewart, who has followed Lewis’ career for decades lauded him for his achievements, but said, “For him to question Donald Trump’s presidency” is wrong. She added that “Hillary Clinton, not Russia” has no one to blame for losing the election but her in the end due to the email server violations.

Trump surrogate and former WH political director under Ronal Reagan, Jeffrey Lord, acknowledged Lewis’ heroism. While he has “tremendous admiration for him [Lewis], he thinks his comments were “sad” towards Trump’s legitimization. He suggested it was ironic for Lewis — a survivor of racist de-legitimization attempts for the right to vote in the ’60s — to claim Trump’s time in office will be defined by an asterisk.

Symone Sanders mentioned the hypocrisy of Trump by reminding viewers that the real estate magnate led a charge in calling into question Barack Obama’s presidency for an extended time. Recently, Trump admitted he was wrong, that Sec. Clinton was the one to first suggest the possibility when she first ran against Obama in his second term.

On Saturday, NAACP CEO Cornell William Brooks gave a public response to Trump’s Twitter comments. He called them disrespectful about a man who nearly became a “martyr” for civil rights by risking his life in the fight for equal rights.

Recently, the intelligence community released a stunning report that claimed Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered operatives to “influence the campaign and boost Trump, a conclusion that Trump has vehemently disputed.”

Do you agree with Rep. John Lewis that Donald Trump is not a legitimate president?

[Featured image by Mark Wilson/Getty Images]

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