Arkansas Sen. Boozman says Trump inauguration a time to come together

Sen. John Boozman is shown in this 2016 file photo.
Sen. John Boozman is shown in this 2016 file photo.

Sen. John Boozman said Monday that Donald Trump’s inauguration is a time for national unity, even as roughly two dozen members of Congress said they will not attend after the president-elect’s criticism of civil-rights leader John Lewis.

On Saturday, Trump chastised the Georgia congressman, who suffered a cracked skull while fighting for voting rights in the 1960s, by calling him “all talk," the Associated Press reported. The tweet came a day after Lewis said he does not consider Trump a “legitimate president.”

After the exchange, more than two dozen Democratic members of Congress have said they will not attend Trump’s inauguration, which is scheduled for Friday.

Boozman and other state legislators attended an interfaith prayer breakfast honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Little Rock on Monday. When asked at the breakfast about his opinion on the lawmakers’ decision, the senator said: “This is a time for us to come together.”

People need to “respect the fact that he’s our president,” Boozman said, adding he believes that will eventually happen. He said the theme of Trump’s inaugural address will be unity.

At the breakfast, Gov. Asa Hutchinson also mentioned Lewis and his contribution to civil rights. In his speech, the governor said he remembers watching the congressman march alongside King, and he called them both heroes.

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Gov. Asa Hutchinson and other state and local officials stand for the presentation of colors at an interfaith prayer breakfast to honor Martin Luther King Jr.

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