A growing effort by House Democrats to snub Donald Trump’s inauguration has been all but dismissed by their colleagues in the Senate, the latest sign of sharp divisions among Capitol Hill Democrats as they weigh resistance tactics in the Trump era.
Though more than 50 House members — over a quarter of the entire Democratic caucus — plan on skipping Trump’s swearing in ceremony Friday, not one senator would take up their call. In fact, the tactic was largely met with a shrug by Senate Democrats, who nearly all said they’d be going out of respect for the peaceful transfer of power.
“My feelings about the president elect are pretty clear but I think there’s a matter of respect for the office and respect for the constitutional process,” Senate Minority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) said. “And absent clear and convincing evidence that he did not win that election legitimately, then I’m going to be there.”…
It’s the second time this month that House Democrats seized on an opportunity to embarrass Trump only to be shunned by their Senate colleagues. On Jan. 6, about half a dozen members mounted a fruitless bid to delay Trump’s Electoral College victory only to fall short when no senators would join them.
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