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WASHINGTON (AP) — The number of House Democrats planning to boycott Donald Trump's inauguration has grown to more than 40.
It's partly a protest of Trump's repeated criticism of John Lewis, a Georgia congressman and legendary civil rights activist.
Today, Trump struck again -- saying Lewis was either wrong or lying when he said Trump's inauguration would be the first he will have missed since coming to Congress. Trump cited a Washington Post report from 2001 that noted Lewis had skipped George W. Bush's inauguration.
A Lewis spokeswoman says his absence from that event was also a protest -- and that he believed the Florida vote count controversy and the Supreme Court's involvement in the election outcome didn't reflect a "free, fair and open democratic process."
In Trump's case, Lewis has challenged his legitimacy to be president because of Russia's interference in the election.
Top Democrats like House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi and Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York will attend the inauguration, and none of the Senate Democrats said they'll skip it.
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014-v-34-(Sandy Kozel, AP correspondent)--A congressional boycott of the Trump inauguration is growing. AP correspondent Sandy Kozel reports. (17 Jan 2017)
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APPHOTO DCSA101: FILE - In this file July 8, 2016 file photo, civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus participate in a news conference on Capitol in Washington. Lewis and more than 30 House Democrats plan to boycott President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration on Friday, Jan. 20, 2017, casting the Republican businessman as a threat to democracy. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File) (8 Jul 2016)
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