Trump Goes After Lewis About Skipping Inauguration

ATLANTA, GA -- Days after raising the ire of many Atlantans and fans of U.S. Rep. John Lewis, President-Elect Donald Trump on Tuesday came after the civil rights pioneer again.

This time he chided Lewis for saying in a weekend interview that Trump's inauguration would be the first one he's missed since he's been in Congress. Trump said in a tweet, "WRONG (or lie)! He boycotted Bush 43 also."

Lewis "doesn't believe Bush is the true elected president. Sound familiar?" he tweeted.

On Saturday morning, Trump responded to Lewis' recent assertion that the POETUS was not a "legitimate president" by calling Atlanta's 5th Congressional District, which includes downtown Atlanta and surrounding communities, "falling apart" and "crime infested."

The tweet set off a firestorm of support for Lewis in Atlanta and in much of the nation, especially coming at the start of Martin Luther King Day weekend.

On Tuesday, Trump decided that he wasn't done with the Atlanta lawmaker.

Read more: Trump attacks Lewis, Atlanta

Lewis' office said Tuesday that the congressman did indeed skip Bush's swearing-in in 2001 as a protest.
"His absence at that time was also a form of dissent," spokeswoman Brenda Jones said, according to USA Today.

"He did not believe the outcome of that election, including the controversies around the results in Florida and the unprecedented intervention of the U.S. Supreme Court, reflected a free, fair and open democratic process,” Jones was quoted as saying.

Read more: Trump most unpopular incoming POTUS in decades: Poll

Trump's inauguration is set for Friday in Washington, D.C. A number of Democrats have vowed that they will not attend.

Top photos: Donald Trump, by Michael Vadon; John Lewis, public domain