Rep. John Lewis to lie in state at the Capitol next week
WASHINGTON (FOX NEWS) - The late Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga., will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda Monday through Wednesday of next week, Fox News has learned.
The casket will arrive Monday and be taken in a procession around the city, with stops at the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial near the National Mall.
Lewis’s casket will then come up to the Capitol plaza on the East Front and be taken up the steps into the Capitol by an honor guard, Fox News is told.
READ MORE: Rep. John Lewis, lion of Civil Rights Movement, dies at 80
Due to the pandemic, there will be a small ceremony inside. Members will be given time slots to pay their respects. Unlike most ceremonies when someone lies in state, the public will not be permitted into the Capitol due to coronavirus.
However, the honor guard will then escort Lewis’s casket to the East Front Portico, where the public will be permitted to walk by to pay respects until nightfall Monday.
Lewis’s casket will be taken back to the Rotunda for the night and then returned to the East Front Portico for another day of viewing on Tuesday. Then, the honor guard will reposition the casket inside the Rotunda for nightfall.
Rep. John Lewis and other members of the Congressional Black Caucus wait to enter as a group to attend the memorial services of U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais-Pool/Getty Images)
More than 30 people have lain in state in the Capitol Rotunda, most recently the late Sen. John McCain and late Rep. Elijah Cummings.
Lewis was a leading civil rights activist and symbol of the movement in the House of Representatives during his 33-year tenure. He died last week after being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year.
Lewis was considered one of the most influential leaders of the movement, akin to Martin Luther King Jr., Whitney Young, A. Phillip Randolph, James Farmer and Roy Wilkins. His death drew public condolences from across the political spectrum.
President Trump paid respect, even though they didn't always see eye to eye: Lewis skipped out on his inauguration ceremony in 2017. "Saddened to hear the news of civil rights hero John Lewis passing. Melania and I send our prayers to he and his family," Trump tweeted.
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On Friday, the United States Park Police released information on the lying in state of Rep. Lewis. Click here for more information or view below: