Pasadena Congresswoman Judy Chu Won’t Attend Trump’s Inauguration

[Updated Monday, January 16, 2017 | 11:00 a.m.]   Pasadena Congresswoman Judy Chu has joined a growing number of Democrat lawmakers who are boycotting president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C. on January 20.

Chu’s decision not to attend came after Trump tweeted remarks about Georgia Rep. John Lewis on Twitter, following the congressman’s comments that he doesn’t see Trump as a “legitimate president.”

“While I do not question the legitimacy of Mr. Trump’s election, I do object to his treatment of other Americans, particularly those who disagree with him. In a diverse democracy like ours, patriotic dissent is vital,” Chu said in a Monday statement. “That is why the values of pluralism, grievance, and criticism are enshrined in the 1st Amendment’s protections of religion, speech, and press – all three of which have been targets of the President-elect.”

As of last count, the number of members of the House of Representatives boycotting the inauguration has grown to 20, many of them expressing sympathies with Lewis.

In a series of tweets Saturday, Trump characterized Lewis, one of the original 13 Freedom Riders beaten during a 1965 march in Selma and arrested and jailed repeatedly as he opposed segregation, as “all talk, talk, talk – no action or results.”

Trump also criticized Lewis’s district in the tweets saying the congressman “should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results.”

On Saturday night, Chu said on Twitter, “After much thought, I have decided to #StandWithJohnLewis and not attend the inauguration. I stand with those who have fought for us and encourage future leaders to act with inclusion and respect.”

Lewis is considered to be one of the most liberal members of the House, and one of the most liberal congressmen ever to represent a district in the Deep South. Between 1988 and 2014, he has been reelected 14 times to represent Georgia’s 5th congressional district.