Elijah Cummings, esteemed longtime Baltimore congressman, has died at 68 [View all]
Source: CBS News
Representative Elijah Cummings, of Baltimore, died early Thursday at the age of 68, his office said. Cummings died at Johns Hopkins Hospital at 2:45 a.m. from "complications concerning longstanding health challenges," his office said. He hadn't returned to work after having a medical procedure that he said would only keep him away for about a week, The Baltimore Sun pointed out.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman, a Democrat and 23-year House veteran, was a key figure in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump and a recent target of intense criticism from the president. Cummings missed two roll call votes Thursday, the first day back following a two-week House recess. He previously released a statement saying he'd be back by the time the session resumed. He hadn't taken part in a roll call vote since Sept. 11. The procedure already caused Cummings to miss a September hearing on Washington, D.C., statehood. The statement didn't detail the procedure. He previously was treated for heart and knee issues.
A sharecropper's son, Cummings was a formidable orator who passionately advocated for the poor in his black-majority district, which encompasses a large portion of Baltimore as well as more well-to-do suburbs. As chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cummings led multiple investigations of Mr. Trump's dealings, including probes in 2019 relating to the president's family members serving in the White House. The president responded by criticizing Cummings' district as a "rodent-infested mess" where "no human being would want to live."
The comments came weeks after Mr. Trump drew bipartisan condemnation following his calls for Democratic congresswomen of color to get out of the U.S. "right now" and go back to their "broken and crime-infested countries." Cummings replied that government officials must stop making "hateful, incendiary comments" that only serve to divide and distract the nation from its real problems, including mass shootings and white supremacy. "Those in the highest levels of the government must stop invoking fear, using racist language and encouraging reprehensible behavior," Cummings said in a speech at the National Press Club.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/elijah-cummings-esteemed-longtime-baltimore-congressman-died-68-today-2019-10-17/
OMG just heard on the radio. There are no words.
Above OP article has now been updated.
Original articles WUSA9/CBS - https://www.wusa9.com/article/news/local/dc/congressman-elijah-cummings-dies-at-68/65-67da7b61-d4a4-491a-b705-265d359a2b98
BALTIMORE -- Congressman Elijah Cummings died on Thursday morning, according to an official from his office.
Congressman Cummings passed away at Johns Hopkins hospital due to complications concerning longstanding health challenges.
He has represented Maryland's 7th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives since 1966. Before then he served14 years in the Maryland House of Delegates. During his tenure he made history as the first African American in Maryland to be named Speaker Pro Tem.
This story is developing. We will update as soon as information becomes available.
(note the updated WUSA9 article has an incorrect year of "1966" - should be "1996" )
BALTIMORE -- Congressman Elijah Cummings died on Thursday morning, according to an official from his office.
Congressman Cummings passed away at Johns Hopkins hospital due to complications concerning longstanding health challenges.
This story is developing. We will update as soon as information becomes available.
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