The Maddow Blog, part of MSNBC.com featured a post today from Steve Benen with a ridiculously bogus headline that reads, “On MLK weekend, Trump picks fight with civil-rights hero John Lewis.”

That isn’t what happened and Benen knows it since his piece starts off revealing who picked the fight: Lewis.

Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.), a legendary champion of civil rights and a celebrated public servant, sat down with NBC News’ Chuck Todd late last week and said what many Democrats believe, but have been reluctant to say.

“I don’t see this president-elect as a legitimate president,” Lewis said. Explaining that he intends to boycott Donald Trump’s inauguration this week, the Georgia Democrat added, “It will be the first one that I miss since I’ve been in Congress. You cannot be at home with something that you feel that is wrong, is not right.” Lewis pointed to Russia’s illegal intervention in the election on Trump’s behalf as reason to question the Republican’s legitimacy.

First of all, Lewis didn’t just point “to Russia’s illegal intervention in the election on Trump’s behalf…” Lewis’s exact words were, “I think the Russians participated in helping this man get elected. And they helped destroy the candidacy of Hillary Clinton.”

That statement goes much further than what Benen suggests. That brings me back to what Benen says at the start, which is Lewis saying what “many Democrats believe” and that is, Donald Trump is not a legitimate President. By saying, Trump, is not legitimate, they are not accepting the results of the election. What they “believe” is irrelevant because to believe is subjective. In the movie ‘A Few Good Men’, Dan Caffey (Tom Cruise) is lecturing Joanne Galloway (Demi Moore) about beliefs when he says, “It doesn’t matter what I believe. It only matters what I can prove.” 

John Lewis’s comments were provoked by what he says was Russia, interfering in our election process and for that case to be made, Lewis has to prove what he says is right. He doesn’t have that proof so he is essentially saying, “I don’t accept the results of the election.”

What did Hillary Clinton say about not accepting the results? Here is what she said after the third debate:

“It was horrifying what he said,” Clinton told reporters, referring to her Republican opponent’s remark that he would keep the American public “in suspense” about whether he would question the outcome of a race that he says is rigged. “we are a country based on laws. And we’ve had hot, contested elections going back to the very beginning, but one of our hallmarks has always been that we accept the outcomes of our elections.”

America has “free and fair elections,” the Democratic nominee continued. “Somebody wins and somebody loses. So what he said tonight is part of his whole effort to blame somebody else for his campaign.”

Hillary also tweeted the following:

Trump wouldn't say if he'll accept the outcome of the election. That’s horrifying—but part of a pattern. https://t.co/OrT9W4bSGW

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 20, 2016

In America, we don’t say we’re going to “keep you in suspense” about whether we’ll respect the outcome of an election.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) October 26, 2016

All of that talk went out the window the moment Democrats came to the realization Hillary Clinton was not going to be President.

Horrifying, right?