Elijah Cummings, Maryland Congressman and House Oversight Chairman, Dead at 68

Maryland Congressman, Elijah Cummings, has passed away. Cummings was a giant in Civil Rights and the Chairman of the House Oversight Committee which played a role in the Russian investigation of President Donald Trump. He was 68.

The longtime Congressman’s office announced his death early this morning at Johns Hopkins Hospital from complications related to health issues he suffered from for years. On September 19^th, Cummings had a procedure, and he was expected back in his office when Congress returned to session.

Cummings spent part of the summer on the receiving end of verbal attacks from Trump, who described Baltimore, located in Cummings district, as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” Cummings took office as chair of the Oversight Committee in January, vowing to investigate the White House.

As the impeachment inquiry gained approval among voters and the Administration continued to stonewall, the Congressman tweeted, “The President is acting as if he is above the law. What else is he hiding from the American people?”

Dr. Ray Winbush, Director of the Institute for Urban Research at Morgan State University in Baltimore, said, “Every generation of African-Americans produces its Black Giants. Garvey, Rosa, King, Malcolm, Shirley…Elijah Cummings is this generation’s Black Giant, not only in politics but in human rights as well. He now joins our ancestral Giants and may They welcome him with open arms.”

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan stated, “Congressman Cummings leaves behind an incredible legacy of fighting for Baltimore City and working to improve people’s lives. He was a passionate and dedicated public servant whose countless contributions made out state and country better.”

Cummings was an attorney whose political career began in the Maryland House of Delegates in 1983. He eventually became the Speaker Pro Tem, the first Black politician to hold the office. It was clear he had succeeded beyond the limited vision of a school counselor, according to Cummings, who thought he was a slow learner and did not speak well.

Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, the Congressman’s wife and Chairwoman of Maryland’s Democratic Party said in a statement was “an honorable man who proudly served his district and the nation with dignity, integrity compassion, and humility….He worked until his last breath because he believed our democracy was the highest and best expression of our collective humanity and that our nation’s diversity was our promise, not our problem. I loved him deeply and will miss him dearly.”