Sens. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and Marco Rubio (R-FL) on Saturday issued apologies after erroneously posting photos of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings in social media posts that paid tribute to Rep. John Lewis (D-GA) following his recent death.
On Friday night, Lewis died at the age of 80 after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last December. Shortly after Lewis’ death was announced, politicians paid tribute to the late congressman, who had a reputation for his involvement in the civil rights movement and serving 17 terms in Congress.
Sullivan issued an apology for a now-deleted Facebook post paying tribute to Lewis that featured a photo of the Alaska senator with Cummings — the Maryland congressman who died last year — in front of the National Museum of African American History and Culture. The photo was previously used in a post last year paying tribute to Cummings.
“Senator Sullivan’s staff made a mistake trying to honor an American legend,” a spokesperson for Sullivan told CNN.
Sullivan shared a new post on Facebook that refers to a Washington Post article on Lewis’ death.
Earlier Saturday, Rubio tweeted an image that mistook Cummings for Lewis, and acknowledged the error after deleting his initial post and replacing it with a new message paying tribute to Lewis.
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 resthttps://t.co/aEm4MxKxBP pic.twitter.com/0UpWSG3vNQ
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) July 18, 2020
