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Elijah Cummings, Longtime Maryland Congressman, Has Died At 68

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House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings, D-Md., speaks during the House Oversight Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)
House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings, D-Md., speaks during the House Oversight Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, March 14, 2019. (Jose Luis Magana/AP)

Maryland Rep. Elijah E. Cummings died early Thursday of complications from longstanding health issues, his office said. He was 68.

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Brandon Scott, Baltimore City Council president. He was mentored by Rep. Elijah Cummings. (@CouncilPresBMS)

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Politico: "Rep. Elijah Cummings, powerful Democratic chairman and Trump target, dies at 68" — "Rep. Elijah Cummings — the Baltimore-area Democrat who chaired the powerful House Oversight Committee and drew the ire of President Donald Trump — died early Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital due to complications from longstanding health challenges, his office said in a statement. He was 68.

"Cummings had represented Maryland's 7th Congressional District for 23 years before ascending in January to his perch atop the Oversight panel, from which he oversaw several investigations into the administration. Along with House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and House Foreign Affairs Chairman Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), he was one of three committee leaders guiding House Democrats' impeachment inquiry."

Baltimore Sun: "What will happen to Elijah Cummings’ seat in Congress after his death? Here’s what the law says." — "Maryland awoke Thursday to learn that U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings had died from complications of longstanding health problems.

"Some flooded social media with an outpouring of condolences for Cummings’ family and warm memories of the fiery Democratic congressman.

But others wondered what happens when a seated member of U.S. Congress dies in the middle of his or her term?"

Washington Post: "‘A giant of integrity and knowledge has fallen’: Congress reacts to the death of Rep. Elijah Cummings" — "Reactions poured in from Capitol Hill following the death of Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, the Maryland Democrat who served as chairman of the powerful House Oversight and Reform Committee — and who became known in recent years for his forceful opposition President Trump.

"Cummings was an attorney and a civil rights advocate before entering what would ultimately be a nearly 40-year career in public service — first in the Maryland House of Delegates and later the U.S. House of Representatives.

"'Chairman Elijah E. Cummings and I shared a city, an alma mater, a love of the law and a life of public service,' Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.) said in a statement. 'I am deeply saddened by his passing, and my prayers today are with his family and loved ones — and the people of Baltimore.' "

With reporting from the Associated Press

This segment aired on October 17, 2019.

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