Hoyer will attend inauguration

Rep. Steny Hoyer, D-Md., was speaking at a rally to save Obamacare when a rallygoer interrupted him, calling for Hoyer to boycott the inauguration. The comments come after Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., questioned Donald Trump’s legitimacy and announced a boycott of the inauguration on Jan. 20.

Hoyer said that he “understands my friend John Lewis.”

However, Hoyer told the Washington Examiner afterwards that he was not going to boycott the inauguration, as roughly 20 other House Democrats have decided to do.

“He is being sworn in and I am a leader in the equal branch of government,” he said.

Hoyer added he believes that Trump represents the “minority of Americans and not the majority.”

“I think John Lewis is correct to make a statement by not being there how concerned we are about policies he is proposing,” he said.

However, Hoyer didn’t agree with Lewis’ statement questioning the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency.

“I wouldn’t say it that way but I understand what he is saying,” Hoyer said.

He then added that the majority of Americans didn’t vote for Trump, pointing to Hillary Clinton’s lead of more than 2 million votes in the popular vote.

He also pointed to Russian involvement in the election process and FBI director James Comey’s decision 10 days before the election that he was reopening the probe into Hillary Clinton’s e-mails. Comey sent a letter the Sunday before the election that the FBI didn’t find anything new regarding Clinton’s private e-mail server.

Comey declined to recommend charges for Clinton last July, saying that while her use of a private server was careless it wasn’t criminal.

Lewis said on Friday that he questions the legitimacy of Trump’s presidency due to Russian interference.

Lewis is among roughly 20 House Democrats who are boycotting the inauguration on Jan. 20, according to published reports.