Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) posted a brief tribute to the late civil rights icon John Lewis on Twitter Saturday—but he used a photo of the wrong colleague and activist. Rubio chose a photo of himself with the late Maryland congressman and civil rights advocate Elijah Cummings. He also used the image as his profile picture. “It was an honor to know & be blessed with the opportunity to serve in Congress with JohnLewis a genuine & historic American hero,” Rubio wrote in his post. “May the Lord grant him eternal peace.”
Rubio deleted the post less than an hour later, likely due to comments and retweets informing him he’d posted a photo with the wrong late colleague. He later tweeted, “Earlier today I tweeted an incorrect photo. John Lewis was a genuine American hero. I was honored to appear together in Miami 3 years ago at an event captured in video below. My God grant him eternal rest.”
Hours later, Alaskan Senator Dan Sullivan repeated the blunder in a Facebook post that also included a photo of himself with Cummings. He deleted the post soon after.
Lewis was elected to Congress to represent Georgia’s 5th district in 1991. Cummings was elected five years later to represent Maryland’s 7th district. Lewis was also one of the “Big Six” leaders who organized 1963’s March on Washington. Cummings, meanwhile, fiercely advocated for Baltimore’s working class and rose to become chair of the Committee on Oversight and Reform in January 2019. He died last October.
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