Manhattan reps. skipping inauguration

BY MICHAEL GAROFALO

Three of Manhattan’s four congresspersons have said they will not attend Donald Trump’s inauguration as the nation’s 45th president tomorrow.

U.S. Reps. Jerrold Nadler, Nydia Velazquez and Adriano Espaillat will join dozens of other House Democrats in boycotting the inauguration ceremony in Washington, D.C. The lone representative of a Manhattan district planning to attend is Rep. Carolyn Maloney.

Maloney, a Democrat whose congressional district includes the president-elect’s primary residence in Trump Tower, said in an emailed statement that she will attend her famous constituent’s inauguration “out of respect for our country’s peaceful transition of power and our democratic institutions.” On Saturday, Maloney will participate in the Women’s March on NYC, which is expected to draw thousands of demonstrators in support of women’s rights. “I look forward to joining my constituents in New York City to send a strong signal that this election will not silence our voices,” Maloney’s statement read.

Nadler, whose district includes the Upper West Side, Chelsea, and much of downtown Manhattan, issued a statement Monday explaining his decision to skip the ceremony. “The rhetoric and actions of Donald Trump have been so far beyond the pale — so disturbing and disheartening — and his continued failure to address his conflicts of interest, to adequately divest or even to fully disclose his financial dealings, or to sufficiently separate himself from the ethical misconduct that legal experts on both side of the aisle have identified have been so offensive I cannot in good conscience participate in this honored and revered democratic tradition of the peaceful transfer of power,” the statement read.

Velazquez, whose district includes parts of the Lower East Side and Brooklyn, said in a Facebook post that she will not attend Trump’s inauguration but that she plans to participate in the Women’s March on Washington the next day.

Rep. Adriano Espaillat, who represents parts of the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, announced in a Facebook post that he would not attend the inauguration. “Donald Trump and the hate-filled rhetoric that plagued his election simply will continue in his administration,” the post read. Espaillat will instead attend a community event in Washington Heights Friday.

Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand are expected to attend the inauguration. No senators have said they plan to skip the event.