Rep. Slaughter to boycott Trump's inauguration

Rep. Louise Slaughter, D-Rochester, announced she would not attend the inauguration of President-Elect Donald Trump.

Slaughter made the announcement via a press release posted to her official congressional website.

Slaughter said she is standing in solidarity with Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., who she said is "like a brother" to her.

"For all that he’s stood for all these years, I’m happy to stand with him," said Slaughter in the statement.

Last week, Lewis told NBC News' Chuck Todd that he would not attend the inauguration, and several Democrats have since said they will follow suit.

"I don't see this President-elect as a legitimate president," Lewis said. "I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton."

Trump has since fired back at the civil rights icon on twitter.

Congressman John Lewis should spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to......

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

mention crime infested) rather than falsely complaining about the election results. All talk, talk, talk - no action or results. Sad!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 14, 2017

Many of the Democratic lawmakers skipping the inauguration cite Trump's attacks on Lewis as one of the reasons they made the decision to boycott the event.

It is unclear whether Trump's comments affected Slaughter's decision, which she said was "not easy."

"I was sent to Washington to get things done, which is why I will be working with the president-elect in the years ahead to move my district and our nation forward,” said Slaughter. 

Slaughter is first woman to serve in the House of Representatives on behalf of a congressional district in Western New York. She represented a significant portion of the region, including parts of Buffalo, from the time she was first elected in 1987 through the 2010 Census, when redistricting created her current district, District 25, which is based primarily in Monroe County.