Georgia congressman John Lewis was on the receiving end of Twitter’s wrath after he appeared to dismiss Bernie Sanders’ work during the civil rights era.
Lewis, a civil rights icon who walked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama was endorsing Hillary Clinton for president when he was asked about Sanders’ participation in the civil rights movement.
“I never saw him. I never met him,” Lewis said. “I chaired the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee for three years from 1963 to 1966. I was involved in the sit-ins, the Freedom Rides, the March on Washington, the march from Selma to Montgomery and directed the voter education project for six years. I met Hillary Clinton, I met President Clinton.”
That apparently didn’t sit well with Sanders supporters. Lewis quickly became a top trending topic on Thursday, with some trolling Lewis on Twitter:
I'm soooo done w/ the civil rights generation. i can't even right now. https://t.co/gyMdXCIWxE
— Justin G Rock Gordon (@J_Gordon843) February 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/jarrodmyrick/status/697844594696970241
Maybe Bernie was just in the bathroom when John Lewis was around. Like some Curb Your Enthusiasm episode.
— hometown hussy (@ohhhIivia) February 11, 2016
https://twitter.com/TheXclass/status/697886581500342272
Lewis made his remarks on Capitol Hill, where members of the Congressional Black Caucus’ political action committee officially endorsed Clinton.
The remarks come as the two Democratic presidential candidates are gearing up for the crucial Southern states primaries where the African-American vote could tip the balance.
As Mother Jones reported, Sanders was involved in the chapter of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) while a college student during the 1960s.