As the nation mourns the loss of Representative John Lewis (D-GA), a lifelong civil rights advocate and iconic proponent of racial equality, not all condolences are welcome.
On Saturday, following the announcement of Lewis' death, political figures flocked to social media to share statements of remembrance and grief. Among them was Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell — a man uniquely positioned to champion or, as critics have pointed out, stand in the way of Lewis's hard-fought legacy.
In December, Lewis led the House of Representatives in passing the Voting Rights Advancement Act, which stands to restore and modernize the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by expanding and improving the federal government's ability to prevent against voter discrimination. Since then, McConnell has refused to hold a hearing for the proposed legislation.
It's one of numerous efforts (or lack thereof) by the Republican Party that seem aimed at preventing a free and fair election this November.
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"I will never forget joining hands with John as members of Congress sang We Shall Overcome at a 2008 ceremony honoring his friend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.," McConnell tweeted, referencing one of the prominent photo opportunities featuring the two leaders.
"I will never forget that Mitch McConnell will not even give the Voting Rights Advancement Act a hearing, and that he has done everything possible to stand in the way of protecting the right to vote," responded The Atlantic journalist Jemele Hill. "We can't overcome because people like you love being in the way of progress."
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Amidst allegations of lip service and hypocrisy, multiple users resurfaced a controversial photo of McConnell posing in front of a confederate flag and pointed out other ways the Kentucky senator has aided in the Trump administration's troubling move towards voter suppression.
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Donald Trump and plenty of other Republicans shared their sympathies online as well, but were met with similar criticism.
In one particularly blistering thread, journalist Dave Levitan juxtaposed screenshots of Lewis memorial statements with news stories spotlighting GOP endeavors to prevent equal voting access.
Among those included were representatives Barry Loudermilk (R-GA), Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Fred Upton (R-MI), John Joyce (R-PA), Brad Wenstrup (R-OH), David McKinley (R-WV), Steve Chabot (R-OH), Paul Mitchell (R-MI), Jason Smith (R-MO), Van Taylor (R-TX), Morgan Griffith (R-VA); senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Kelly Loeffler (R-GA), David Perdue (R-GA), Roy Blunt (R-MO); and Georgia Governor Brian Kemp.
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And the statement from the official GOP Twitter account? Well, about as divisive as you'd expect.
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TopicsActivismPolitics
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