LePage: John Lewis should thank GOP for ending slavery

Maine Gov. Paul LePage on Tuesday ripped Rep. John Lewis’s (D-Ga.) criticism of President-elect Donald Trump, asking for a “thank you” on behalf of Republicans for ending slavery and fighting Jim Crow laws.

“You know, I will just say this: John Lewis ought to look at history,” LePage said on WVOM Maine radio’s “George Hale and Ric Tyler Show.”

“It was Abraham Lincoln that freed the slaves. It was Rutherford B. Hayes and Ulysses S. Grant that fought against Jim Crow laws. A simple ‘thank you’ would suffice.”

{mosads}Lewis, a civil rights leader who participated in the famous 1965 march in Selma, Ala. with Martin Luther King Jr., on Friday said he does not see President-elect Donald Trump as a “legitimate president,” and announced that he would not attend the real estate mogul’s inauguration.

Trump responded to Lewis’ comments, tweeting on Saturday that the longtime Georgia congressman was “all talk” and “no action or results.”

Also Tuesday, LePage blasted Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-Maine) for saying that she would not attend Trump’s inauguration.

“For some reason, the left has become so hateful and so, they are trying to bully us out of believing our constitution,” he said. “Chellie Pingree, if she won’t attend on Friday, I would advise her to resign.”

So far, more than 40 House Democrats have announced that they will not attend Trump’s swearing-in ceremony.