President-elect Donald Trump was swiftly condemned for his series of early-morning tweets Saturday maligning the Atlanta district that Rep. John Lewis represents as a "crime infested" area that is "falling apart."
The Republican was furious at Lewis after the civil rights icon told NBC's "Meet the Press" that he will skip Trump's inauguration next week because he doesn't see him as a "legitimate president."
“Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results,” Trump said in a pair of Twitter messages ahead of the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations. “All talk, talk, talk – no action or results. Sad!”
The remarks about the district, which swings through heart of metro Atlanta and includes some of the city's crown jewels, were roundly criticized by leaders from both sides of the aisle.
From Bill Kristol, a prominent conservative analyst and editor-at-large of the Weekly Standard:
From U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif.:
From Evan McMullin, who ran for president as an independent:
While most Georgia Republicans were mum - Gov. Nathan Deal's office was among those declining immediate comment - state Democrats laced into Trump.
The Democratic Party of Georgia tweeted "delete your account" to Trump - in Russian.
House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, one of the state's top Democrats added:
State Sen. Vincent Fort, a candidate for Atlanta mayor:
Former Atlanta councilwoman Cathy Woolard, also a candidate for mayor:
"It's really hard not to take this personally. John Lewis represents the type of America we should be. I'm hoping the people in Atlanta will show up, do service projects, march and demonstrate that we all learned from Dr. King and Rep. Lewis about what community should be."
Democratic strategist Tharon Johnson, a former Lewis aide:
"One of the greatest honors of my life is that I worked for John Lewis. It is hard to imagine a more divisive thing for a President-elect to do than lash out at John Lewis, someone who both Republicans and Democrats recognize as one of the greatest American heroes alive today. What's so disturbing is that the President-elect seems ignorant of history. John Lewis didn't just talk about ending segregation -- he acted...he literally BLED for civil rights, getting beat up while marching in Selma to end segregation.
"And now here is Donald Trump attacking John Lewis for 'talk...not action or results.' Segregation is a relic of history because John Lewis and Martin Luther King Jr. got results and for Donald Trump to attack him on this MLK Day weekend is something deeply offensive to Republicans and Democrats."
And former state Sen. Jason Carter, a grandson of Jimmy Carter and the Democratic nominee for Georgia governor in 2014, had this to say:
State Sen. Josh McKoon, R-Columbus, is one of a few Georgia Republicans who came to Trump's defense:
More on Lewis, Trump and Atlanta:
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