In an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press" over the weekend, U.S. Rep. John Lewis said President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration would be the first swearing-in he'd skip in his 30 years as a member of Congress.
Not true, Trump tweeted on Tuesday morning.
Renewing his social media feud with the Atlanta Democrat, Trump picked up on reports from several conservative outlets that Lewis skipped George W. Bush's inaugural in 2001. Those reports have pointed to this paragraph from an article about the inauguration of George W. Bush in the Washington Post:
Some members of the Black Caucus decided to boycott Inauguration Day; John Lewis, for instance, spent the day in his Atlanta district. He thought it would be hypocritical to attend Bush's swearing-in because he doesn't believe Bush is the true elected president.
Lewis' spokeswoman confirmed that the congressman indeed missed Bush's first inauguration:
Lewis is one of roughly 40 House Democrats who have said they plan to skip Friday's festivities in protest. Georgia's three other congressional Democrats said they'll attend Trump's swearing-in.
At least one Georgia Republican, Gov. Nathan Deal, is opting out of the inauguration hoopla, but for financial reasons.
Read more:
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