At least eight U.S. members of Congress have said they will boycott the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, with some citing evidence that Russian may have helped Trump get elected.
"I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," Representative John Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, told NBC's "Meet the Press" in an interview to air on January 15.
"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton," Lewis said, referring to U.S. intelligence reports that allege that Russia interfered in the election through hacking and other means with the goal of helping Trump.
Other Democratic lawmakers who have announced plans to skip the inauguration include Representatives Raul Grijalva, Nydia Velazquez, Barbara Lee, Earl Blumenauer, Katherine Clark, Jared Huffman, and Luis Gutierrez.
Many of them cited what they called Trump's "disrespect" for women, minorities, and foreigners as their reasons for not attending.
