Congressman Ted Lieu announced this weekend that he will not attend Friday’s Inauguration of Donald Trump as president.
Lieu, a Democrat from Torrance whose 33rd District encompasses the South Bay and reaches up the coast as far north as Agoura Hills, took particular issue with Trump’s criticism of Congressman John Lewis, a fellow Democrat and a civil rights icon who worked beside Dr. Martin Luther King. Lieu, who was just elected to his second term in Congress after serving as a state senator and assemblyman, is one of roughly a dozen representatives thus far who have indicated they would skip the Inauguration due to Trump’s disparagement of Lewis.
Lewis was among first representatives to announce he would not attend the inauguration. “I believe in forgiveness,” Lewis told NBC News last Wednesday. “I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It’s going to be very difficult. I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president.”
Lewis has represented the Georgia’s Fifth Congressional District, which comprises most of Atlanta and surrounding suburbs, since 1987. He has been often described as “the conscience of Congress” and its only genuinely historical figure.
Lieu, in an email Saturday, said his decision not to attend the Inauguration was for several reasons but hinged on Trump’s criticism of Lewis.
“For me, the personal decision not to attend the Inauguration is quite simple: Do I stand with Donald Trump, or do I stand with John Lewis?” he wrote. “I am standing with John Lewis.”
Lieu noted that he respected members of Congress who are attending, as well as the decision made by other not to attend the inaugurations of President Obama.
“I view this as a personal decision because no votes are being taken and no policies will be enacted at this ceremony,” he wrote. “While I do not dispute that Trump won the Electoral College, I cannot normalize his behavior or the disparaging and un-American statements he has made.”
“Trump–who lost the popular vote–has made a series of racist, sexist and bigoted statements,” Lieu said. “In addition, he has attacked Gold Star parents, veterans such as John McCain and now civil rights icon John Lewis….Trump has made statements denigrating the patriotic and professional men and women of our intelligence services, many of whom risk their lives in service to our nation. He also continues to believe Vladimir Putin over our intelligence services and is actively misleading the American people when he denies Putin ordered a brazen, multifaceted cyberattack on America to benefit Trump.”
The Congressman also said he believes Trump’s refusal to divest himself of his business interests violates the Constitution.
“On January 20, Trump will be in violation of Article 1, Section 9 of the Constitution because of the massive conflicts of interests he has with his global business holdings,” he wrote. “That provision of the Constitution was designed to prevent foreign influence over American elected officials. Trump can cure this Constitutional defect by divesting his holdings or putting them into a blind trust, but so far has been unwilling to do so.”
Lieu did note on area in which he is in agreement with Trump, the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a treaty intended increase trade cooperation with 12 Pacific Rim nations in part by removing more than 18,000 tariffs.
“Can a man such as Trump have a good idea? The answer is yes,” Lieu said. “And if the next Administration has a good policy, such as withdrawing from the flawed Trans-Pacific Partnership, I will support it. But if Trump has unconstitutional or bad ideas, such as creating a registry based on religion or gutting Social Security and Medicare, I will oppose them.”
