U.S. Rep. John Lewis had strong words Friday on the coming inauguration of Donald Trump as president.

Appearing on NBC's "Meet the Press with Chuck Todd," the Georgia Democrat was asked if he plans to forge a relationship with Trump. The civil rights veteran said Trump makes that difficult:

"You know, I believe in forgiveness. I believe in trying to work with people. It will be hard. It's going to be very difficult. I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president."

Lewis, who also testified this week against U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions, R-Ala., Trump's nominee to be attorney general, went on to say he believes the Russians helped elect Trump and that he does not plan to attend next week's inauguration.

About the Author

Featured

Rose Scott signals as Closer Look goes on air in the WABE studio. An Atlanta resident left WABE a $3 million donation, a boost after WABE lost $1.9 million in annual funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting. (Ben Gray / AJC file)

Credit: Ben Gray