Democrat Sanford Bishop says it is his ‘duty’ to attend Trump inauguration

As the number of lawmakers boycotting Donald Trump’s inauguration rises, one Georgia Democrat said he will be there Friday at the swearing in of the 45^th president of the United States.

“Boycotting was not a consideration,” said Rep. Sanford Bishop, who represents the 2^nd Congressional District, which includes a large portion of Columbus. “The inauguration is technically a joint session of Congress. While I am not a Trump supporter, I respect the office of the president and it is my duty to attend.”

More than 50 Congressional Democrats have said they will not attend the inauguration in protest. Rep. John Lewis, D-Atlanta, was the leader of the movement, saying he would not attend and going as far as calling the Trump presidency illegitimate.

Bishop and Lewis are close friends and Bishop said he has received no pressure from Lewis to boycott.

“I know that in my position, I stand on his shoulders and luminaries of the Civil Rights movement,” Bishop said. “I have a great deal of admiration and respect for what he has done. ... There are roughly 735,000 people in every Congressional district, and every district is different.”

Bishop said Lewis’ accusations will be tested over time and a number of investigations.

“Whether it is legitimate or not remains to be seen,” Bishop said. “There are some concerns that the Russians or other foreign governments interfered with the election. Those matters are under investigation and the outcome will determine if Rep. Lewis is right or not.”

Bishop pointed out that 45 percent of his constituents voted for Trump in the November General Election.

Bishop is one of 49 members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

“I do not know how many members of the Black Caucus are not going,” Bishop said. “I have not seen a head count.”

Bishop is leaving Wednesday and will return to the district on Friday after the noon ceremony, calling it a business trip.

“I won’t do the parade or any of the balls,” Bishop said. “I won’t be celebrating.”

This story was originally published January 18, 2017 at 10:53 AM with the headline "Democrat Sanford Bishop says it is his ‘duty’ to attend Trump inauguration."