Members are individually considering if they should participate in the inauguration of Trump, who this weekend, in a series of tweets, attacked Lewis, an icon of the civil rights movement, after Lewis criticized Trump and said he is an “illegitimate” president, because of Russian attempts to influence the election through email hacking.
The Congressional Black Caucus has not formally discussed boycotting as a group, sources told BuzzFeed News. Sources close to members that the CBC said it was unlikely the group would boycott the inauguration en masse. An official position from the group could come on Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, a source said.
So far Lewis, Reps. Barbara Lee, John Conyers, and Lacy Clay have all said they won’t attend. The members opposed to attending have cited Trump’s controversial campaigning, cabinet appointments, and the Russian efforts.
“I respect the peaceful transition of power, so this is not a decision I came to lightly,” Lee said in an email to BuzzFeed News.
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