Rep. John Lewis Saturday cited the rift with President-elect Donald Trump in a letter to raise money for the Democratic National Committee, calling on supporters to help "stand up to injustice."
The letter was included in a tweet posted by Time magazine political reporter Zeke Miller:
"Today Donald Trump attacked me on Twitter," the civil rights icon and longtime Georgia congressman began. "He said that I’m 'all talk' and 'no action.'
"I’ve been beaten, bloody, tear-gassed, fighting for what’s right for America," Lewis said. "I’ve marched at Selma with Dr. [Martin Luther] King.
"Sometimes that's what it takes to move our country in the right direction.
"We refuse to stop now," Lewis continued. "We’re not done fighting for progress.
"We’re ready for the next four years," he added. "Join me and chip in whatever you can today to help Democrats stand up to injustice."
The dust-up began on Friday when Lewis told NBC News in a "Meet the Press" interview that he did not view Trump as "a legitimate president" because of the Russian hacks of the DNC and other party operatives during the November election.
"I don't see this president-elect as a legitimate president," he told host Chuck Todd for an interview to be aired Sunday.
"I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected," Lewis added. "And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton."
He is among 16 Democrats who have said that they would not attend Trump's inauguration next Friday.
Trump hit back Saturday in Twitter posts that characterized the Fifth Congressional District, which Lewis has represented since 1987, as "falling apart" and "crime-infested."
Atlanta and many wealthy suburbs are in the district — and Mayor Kasim Reed and other local officials bashed Trump for wallowing in stereotypes.
Later Saturday, Trump doubled-down on his earlier posts while calling on Lewis to help him revive the nation's inner cities.
Even that tweet, however, brought an attack: From Republican Rep. Justin Amash of Michigan:
In addition, Cornell William Brooks, president and CEO of the NAACP, demanded that Trump apologize to Lewis, a protégé of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who was beaten in the 1965 "Bloody Sunday" march in Selma,
ABC News also reported that Trump transition officials said he would visit the National Museum of African American History and Culture on Monday to commemorate the King holiday.
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