A group of Illinois congressmen have joined the growing list of lawmakers expected to boycott President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration Friday, according to a Chicago Tribune report.
Illinois Reps. Luis Gutierrez, Mike Quigley and Dan Lipinski are among the roughly 60 members of the U.S. House who plan to skip the historic event, according to the report. Democratic Rep. Bobby Rush will reportedly miss the inaugural due to his wife’s hospitalization.
Congressional opposition to Trump’s swearing-in grew after the divisive Republican attacked Civil Rights icon and Georgia Rep. John Lewis, who questioned the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency based on Russian hacking allegations. Lewis is not expected to attend the inaugural.
“Congressman John Lewis 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,” Trump tweeted Saturday. “All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!”
Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017
Democratic Reps. Robin Kelly, Bill Foster, Jan Schakowsky and Danny Davis are still undecided about the inaugural, according to the Tribune report. Kelly responded Saturday to Trump’s attacks against Lewis.
“You say “talk, talk, talk” but all you do is tweet, lie and demean,” Kelly shot back on Twitter. “That’s ‘bigly’ unpresidential."
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.@realDonaldTrump: you say "talk, talk, talk" but all you do is tweet, lie and demean. That's "bigly" unpresidential. https://t.co/inpAhu1kdy
— Robin Kelly (@RepRobinKelly) January 14, 2017
Democratic Rep. Cheri Bustos announced Tuesday that she plans to attend the event, despite criticizing Trump’s agenda and behavior. During the ceremony, Bustos plans to stand with President Barack Obama, former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Democratic leaders “who are committed to fighting for the values that we believe in.”
Bustos will also attend the Women’s March on Chicago Saturday.
“On the next day, I and thousands of Illinoisans will march in Chicago to send a message that the true majority rejects President-elect Trump’s politics of divisiveness, and we will hold him accountable,” Bustos said in a statement.
Recently-elected Democratic Reps. Brad Schneider and Raja Krishnamoorthi are also expected to attend the ceremony, the Tribune reports. Krishnamoorthi will reportedly join Bustos at Saturday's Women's March.
All seven Republican lawmakers from the Illinois congressional delegation are expected to be on hand Friday, according to the report. As are both Illinois senators, Democrats Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth.
Gov. Bruce Rauner told reporters Tuesday that he's skipping the inaugural because he's "100 percent focused in Illinois." He claimed his choice wouldn’t have a negative impact on Illinoisans, citing his close relationship with members of Trump’s camp.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is also expected to skip the event, according to the Tribune. A mayoral spokesman wouldn’t say whether the move was a protest against Trump.
“The mayor spent nearly two decades in Washington, and as a general rule these days he tries to spend as little time as possible in D.C. talking about national politics,” Emanuel spokesman Matt McGrath told the Tribune.
