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Cleveland Rep. Fudge Will Pass on Trump's Inauguration; Her Columbus Counterpart Beatty Will Attend

photo of Congresswoman Joyce Beatty at a rally in Columbus
JO INGLES
/
STATEHOUSE NEWS BUREAU
Congresswoman Joyce Beatty, attending a rally in Columbus

Ohio’s two members of the Congressional Black Caucus – both Democrats – are split over whether they’ll attend Friday’s inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump.  

Central Ohio Congresswoman Joyce Beatty says she and Georgia Congressman John Lewis are close. So she says she’s upset about Trump’s comments on Twitter slamming the civil rights icon, Lewis, as “all talk and no action," after Lewis said he doesn’t see Trump as a legitimate president.

Marcia Fudge
Credit M.L. SCHULTZE / WKSU
/
WKSU
Cleveland Congresswoman Marcia Fudge chaired the Democratic National Convention and is boycotting Trump's inauguration.

“He can disagree with John Lewis, but for him to tout and be proud this is about a counterpunch? We’re not in a boxing match. We should be united. Stop boxing, Trump.”

Still,  Beatty will be at Trump’s inauguration – and she says she’ll also be at the protest Women’s March on Washington the day after. Meanwhile, Rep. Marcia Fudge of the Cleveland area has said she’ll skip Trump’s inauguration in solidarity with Lewis.

Karen is a lifelong Ohioan who has served as news director at WCBE-FM, assignment editor/overnight anchor at WBNS-TV, and afternoon drive anchor/assignment editor in WTAM-AM in Cleveland. In addition to her daily reporting for Ohio’s public radio stations, she’s reported for NPR, the BBC, ABC Radio News and other news outlets. She hosts and produces the Statehouse News Bureau’s weekly TV show “The State of Ohio”, which airs on PBS stations statewide. She’s also a frequent guest on WOSU TV’s “Columbus on the Record”, a regular panelist on “The Sound of Ideas” on ideastream in Cleveland, appeared on the inaugural edition of “Face the State” on WBNS-TV and occasionally reports for “PBS Newshour”. She’s often called to moderate debates, including the Columbus Metropolitan Club’s Issue 3/legal marijuana debate and its pre-primary mayoral debate, and the City Club of Cleveland’s US Senate debate in 2012.