Steve Cohen Becomes Second Jewish Lawmaker To Boycott Trump Inauguration

Steve Cohen

By Dave Goldiner January 17, 2017

Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tennessee) has announced he will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration, joining a growing list of Democrats who are staying away from the shindig amid the incoming president’s war of words with civil rights icon John Lewis.

Cohen said he would skip the inauguration due to “un-presidential remarks” made by Trump. He added that he would miss the ceremony to back Lewis who derided Trump as “illegitimate,” Haaretz reported.

He joins Jerry Nadler (D-New York) and about two dozen other representatives in boycotting the Friday ceremony.

Trump stirred a hornet’s nest by lashing back at Lewis over his statement, describing him on Twitter as “All talk, talk, talk – no action or results.”

It is highly unusual for members of Congress to boycott the presidential inauguration, especially over political disputes. But Trump has proven time and time again that such rules mean little these days.

Meanwhile, Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Nebraska), a prominent conservative critic of Trump, sought to convince Lewis to relent.

“Please come to the Inauguration,” Sasse wrote on Twitter, It isn’t about a man. It is a celebration of peaceful transition of power.”

Dave Goldiner is the Forward’s director of digital media. Dave is a veteran journalist who has spent two decades working at newspapers in the United States and Africa. A native New Yorker, Goldiner wrote for the New York Daily News, where he covered some of the biggest stories of our time, including the attacks of September 11, along with thousands of stories of hope and heartbreak. He also studied and worked in Southern Africa and has written for publications in South Africa and Zimbabwe. He holds masters degrees in journalism and public administration from Columbia University. Dave can be reached at [email protected], or follow him on Twitter @davegoldiner

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