(WXXI News and AP) Add local Congresswoman Louise Slaughter to the list of Democrats not attending Friday’s presidential inauguration of Republican Donald Trump.
The Fairport Democrat issued a statement Tuesday, saying that, “I take the privilege of serving as a member of Congress seriously, so this was not an easy decision. Congressman John Lewis and I came to Congress at the same time, and he has become like a brother to me. He came to Rochester late last year and visited the convent where nuns from Rochester saved his life on the Edmund Pettus Bridge. For all that he’s stood for all these years, I’m happy to stand with him. As tough as this decision is, I was sent to Washington to get things done, which is why I will be working with the president-elect in the years ahead to move my district and our nation forward,” said Slaughter.
The number of House Democrats planning to boycott Trump's inauguration grew to about 50 on Tuesday in a protest of his policies and his criticism of legendary civil rights activist John Lewis.
Lewis said last week that he would skip Trump's swearing in saying that he didn't view Trump as a legitimate president.
Slaughter will be in Washington during Friday’s inauguration, and will attend a bipartisan Congressional lunch with the president-elect later that day. Her office will also remain open on Friday and Saturday for constituents traveling to Washington for events surrounding the inauguration.
Hundreds of people from the Rochester area are expected to travel to the nation’s capital, both for the inauguration and also for a Women’s March on Washington the following day.
