Source: ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS / Getty
Elijah Cummings, chairman of the House Oversight Committee and longtime congressman from Baltimore, Maryland, died early Thursday (October 17) morning of longstanding health complications at the age of 68 according to The AP.
He was one of the most powerful members of the House of Representatives and was even in charge of the committee appointed to investigate President Trump on several alleged wrongdoings. In fact, it was his hard work and overseeing that led to Trump’s infamous rant that called Cummings native of Baltimore a “rodent-infested mess” where “no human being would want to live.”
But that never stopped Cummings from fighting on for what he thought was right.
“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 in response.
In recent weeks, Cummings health began to deteriorate as he was seen several times on the House floor with a breathing tube and in other instances was in the hospital and missed votes.
According to CNN, He could also be seen operating a motorized wheelchair throughout the Capitol and using the assistance of a walker.
He was the son of a sharecropper who rose through the ranks of government to become one of the most powerful democrats in congress. May he rest in peace.
