Rep. Schiff Will Attend Both Inauguration and Women’s March in DC
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Burbank) released the following statement:
“On Friday, I will be attending the Inauguration and on Saturday I will march with constituents who traveled to DC for the Women's March. I want to share my thoughts on these upcoming events, even though I know many of you may disagree with my decision.
“This is the first time I've ever truly considered not attending an Inauguration, both because of a foreign adversarial power's role in Donald Trump's election, and because of his deplorable conduct before and after November 7.
“During the campaign, I repeatedly warned of Russia's interference in our democracy and the assistance it was giving Trump by hacking and releasing documents detrimental to Secretary Clinton. In fact, as the Ranking Democrats on the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, Senator Feinstein and I took the rare step of attributing the hacks to Russia well before the Administration was willing to, and I will be helping to lead the investigation into its pernicious interference in our affairs.
“Since the election, Trump has only made matters worse, continuing his denials of the extent of Russian involvement and persisting in offensive conduct that only divides the country.
“There are few people I respect more than John Lewis, a hero of the civil rights movement and a man I was honored to join in a civil rights pilgrimage to the Edmund Pettis Bridge and during a sit-in on the House floor to protest inaction on gun violence.
“Trump's lack of respect for Rep. Lewis and his insulting attitude towards others offends me greatly. As I have said many times, no one is doing more to undermine the legitimacy of Donald Trump's Presidency than Donald Trump.
“So why go?
“In my view, Congressional participation at a Presidential Inauguration is not about the President, it's about the Presidency. Yes, many in the public attend because they are pleased with the election and want to be present when their candidate is sworn in. But the reason that Congress surrounds the new President during the ceremony -- members from both parties -- is not because both parties are pleased with the result of the election. Far from it. We participate on a bipartisan basis because we are acknowledging the peaceful transition of power that is the hallmark of our democracy.
“Like many of you, I was appalled when candidate Trump wouldn't commit to respecting the result of the election if he lost. I feel I would be doing the same thing if I boycotted the ceremony in which the office of the Presidency is passed from one occupant of the office to the next. There's a reason why Senators Feinstein, Harris, Sanders and others are attending the Inauguration, and it is out of respect for the office, even if the man who is taking the oath has demonstrated little understanding of what that means. If former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton can demonstrate the grit to attend the Inauguration after Trump's slanderous attacks on her, then so can I.
“On the day following the Inauguration, I will join constituents in Washington for the Women's March and participate in another fundamental aspect of our democracy -- the right to protest. Our message that day, and every day of his Presidency will be the same: That we will not allow Trump to roll back the progress we have made, that his actions and words have consequences, that we will hold him accountable, that demeaning women, minorities and anyone who disagrees with him will not be acceptable, and that we will not be silent.
“Once again, thank you for sharing your thoughts and I hope you will continue to do so.”