BALTIMORE (AP) - Maryland Rep. Elijah E. Cumming, who died Thursday at age 68, was remembered as a moral voice of conscience in a divisive era - a leader who fought for civil rights and took on the White House as a prominent figure in the impeachment inquiry of President Donald Trump.
His widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, chairwoman of Maryland's Democratic Party, said in a statement: "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."
Cummings died early Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital due to complications of longstanding health problems, according to his office. He had hoped to return to Congress within about a week after a medical procedure for which he hadn't offered details. He'd previously been treated for heart and knee issues.
In a testament to Cummings' ability to forge friendships across the aisle during a time of intense political polarization, tributes poured in from across the political spectrum.
Obama
Former President Barak Obama said Cummings was "Steely yet compassionate, principled yet open to new perspectives," former President Barack Obama said.
Obama, whose 2008 presidential bid counted Cummings as an early supporter, said he and his wife, Michelle, were "heartbroken" by the loss of their friend.
"He showed us all not only the importance of checks and balances within our democracy, but also the necessity of good people stewarding it," Obama said.
Trump
President Donald Trump has issued a proclamation ordering U.S. flags to be flown at half-staff "as a mark of respect for the memory and longstanding public service of Representative Elijah E. Cummings, of Maryland," who died early Thursday.
Trump's order applies to the White House and federal buildings and properties, including military posts and ships, across the nation and overseas. It's in effect through Friday, Oct. 18.
Trump also tweeted his "condolences to the family and many friends of Congressman Elijah Cummings. I got to see firsthand the strength, passion and wisdom of this highly respected political leader." He also ordered flags at the White House and other federal buildings to be flown at half-staff through Friday to honor Cummings.
Earlier this year, Cummings defended his city against Trump, who criticized the Democrat's district as a "rodent-infested mess" where "no human being would want to live." Cummings replied that government officials must stop making "hateful, incendiary comments" that 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.
As chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, Cummings led investigations of the president's government dealings, including probes in 2019 relating to Trump's family members serving in the White House.
The committee, authorized to investigate virtually any part of the federal government, is one of three conducting the House impeachment probe of Trump. Cummings was among the three chairmen to sign a letter seeking documents into whether Trump pressured Ukraine to investigate the family of Democratic presidential rival Joe Biden. The committees have issued subpoenas of witnesses after the Trump administration's refusal to cooperate with the impeachment probe and have jointly been meeting behind closed doors to hear testimony.
Separately, Cummings led an effort to gain access to Trump's financial records. His committee subpoenaed records from Mazars USA, an accounting firm that provided services to Trump. The panel demanded documents from 2011 to 2018 as it probed Trump's reporting of his finances and potential conflicts of interest. Last week, a federal appeals court ruled the records must be turned over.
Ivanka Trump has tweeted her condolences as well, calling Cummings a "courageous public servant" and "a son of sharecroppers" who "tirelessly championed his community and country."
Speaker Pelosi
Speaker Nancy Pelosi has ordered flags at the U.S. Capitol to be lowered as well in honor of Cummings.
Pelosi said Cummings' wife, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, told her that the congressman "fought to the very end."
Pelosi says she's also naming legislation to lower prescription drug prices for Cummings.
She grew up in Cummings' Maryland district, told reporters at her weekly press conference that she is "devastated" by the death of her "brother in Baltimore."
She added that Cummings "lived the American dream and he wanted it for everyone else."
Former President Clinton
Former president Bill Clinton and his wife, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton, are praising the life and Cummings's work.
In a written statement Thursday they called him "a resounding voice of moral courage who fought the good fights for the people of Baltimore, and faithfully honored his oath to protect and defend the Constitution with a passion, skill, determination, and dignity rarely matched in our history."
They also praised his leadership on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform "in finding facts, exposing fictions, and demanding that our government be accountable."
Presidential Candidates
Leading Democrats in the presidential race are mourning Cummings’ death.
Former Vice President Joe Biden says Cummings "knew the fights that needed a champion, and he never hesitated to jump into the fray."
The Democratic presidential candidate's statement recalls that Cummings faced "a hail of bottles and insults as a young man marching to integrate a swimming pool," and in 2015, how he rushed into the streets of Baltimore, "bullhorn in hand," to try to calm the crowds after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died in police custody.
Biden says Cummings' moral authority "showed us how to stand firmly for our rights and for what is right, how to never back down, without turning to personal disparagement and recrimination."
Biden said the Maryland congressman's life was "defined by the love of his community and a fierce commitment to ensuring truth wins over power.
Elizabeth Warren called him a dear friend, and said "good people everywhere will miss his rumbling voice, his kind heart, and his deep conviction that every human being has worth."
Bernie Sanders said it was an honor to work closely with him over the years, and that "his integrity and moral vision for his community and the country were extraordinary."
Pete Buttigieg called on Americans to "honor him by insisting on justice and integrity in leadership, as he did." And Kamala Harris said "we lost a giant today," describing Cummings as a "protector of democracy."
Other Reaction
Words of praise also came from both Republicans and Democrats.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell praised Cummings as "a living legend in his native Baltimore" and said he "counted close friends and admirers from all across the political spectrum." House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., called Cummings "a respected adversary" who was tough but fair.
Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, said "Cummings was not just a great congressman, he was a great man."
Rep. Adam Schiff, who with Cummings has led investigations of President Donald Trump, called his friend "the heart and soul of our caucus, a dignified leader with a voice that could move mountains" and "our moral and ethical North Star."
Congressman and civil rights leader John Lewis says that with the Cummings’ death, Americans "have lost a great leader at a time of crisis in our democracy."
Lewis credits the powerful chairman of the House Oversight committee with leading the nation to a place where it's understood that reform is urgently required.
The Georgia Democrat says his colleague from Maryland "was not afraid to use the power vested in him to inquire, investigate and demand the answers the American people deserve."
House Majority Whip James E. Clyburn said Cummings' "calm but firm hand will be missed on the Oversight Committee as it proceeds with the difficult work ahead."
Civil rights leader Rep. John Lewis said, Cummings' death, Americans "have lost a great leader at a time of crisis in our democracy."
"When this nation needed him most, he became a moral voice 'crying in the wilderness,' and his words and actions called a reluctant nation to conscience," the Georgia Democrat said in a statement.
Rep. Carolyn Maloney, a veteran Democrat from New York, will for now take over leadership of the House oversight committee, according to a senior Democratic leadership aide who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the decision publicly.
Former Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy of South Carolina is paying tribute to Cummings. Gowdy, who chaired the House Benghazi and Oversight committees, frequently sparred with Cummings, the top Democrat on both panels.
But Gowdy said on Twitter that Cummings was "one of the most powerful, beautiful & compelling voices in American politics," whose authenticity and sincerely held beliefs were an inspiration.
While the two men rarely agreed on politics, Gowdy said "we never had a cross word outside of a committee room." Gowdy praised Cummings for what he called "a unique ability to separate the personal from the work."
He said Cummings overcame external obstacles "and sometimes internal doubt" to become a lawyer and congressman at the center of major political issues over the past decade.
Gowdy chaired the special House committee that investigated the 2012 attacks at the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, in which the U.S. ambassador and other Americans died. He chaired the House Oversight and Reform Committee that Cummings would later lead when Democrats took the House after the 2018 elections.
Maryland
In Annapolis Governor Larry Hogan today issued a statement saying that he was deeply saddened by the passing Cummings, who he called a fierce advocate for civil rights and for Maryland for more than three decades.
He said, “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 our state and our country better."
He added, “Maryland’s First Lady and I ask Marylanders to join us in praying for his loved ones, his constituents, and his colleagues in the U.S. House of Representatives.”
Meanwhile, Maryland Senate President Mike Miller called Cummings an icon and one of the people he most admired in Maryland politics.
And Baltimore Mayor Jack Young says Cummings was a gifted social justice crusader. The mayor said Cummings wasn't afraid to speak out "against brutal dictators bent on oppression, unscrupulous business executives who took advantage of unsuspecting customers, or even a U.S. President. He was, put simply, a man of God who never forgot his duty to fight for the rights and dignity of the marginalized and often forgotten."
Background
Cummings was born Jan. 18, 1951. In grade school, a counselor told him he was too slow to learn and spoke poorly, and would never fulfill his dream of becoming a lawyer.
"I was devastated," Cummings told The Associated Press in 1996, shortly before winning his seat in Congress. "My whole life changed. I became very determined."
It steeled Cummings to prove that counselor wrong. He became not only a lawyer, but one of the most powerful orators in the Maryland statehouse, where he entered office in 1983. He rose to become the first black House speaker pro tem, the member who presides in the speaker's absence. He would begin his comments slowly, developing his theme and raising the emotional heat until it became like a sermon from the pulpit.
Cummings began his long push for civil rights at age 11, when he helped integrate a swimming pool in Baltimore. This year, during a speech to the American Bar Association in April, Cummings recalled how he and other black children organized protests with help from their recreation leader and the NAACP.
Every day for a week, when the children tried to get into the pool, they were spit upon, threatened and called names, Cummings said; he said he was cut by a bottle thrown from an angry crowd.
"The experience transformed my entire life," he said.
Throughout his career, Cummings used his fiery voice to highlight the struggles and needs of inner-city residents. He believed in much-debated approaches to help the poor and addicted, such as needle exchange programs to reduce the spread of AIDS.
Cummings then chaired the Congressional Black Caucus from 2003 to 2004, employing a hard-charging, explore-every-option style to put the group in the national spotlight.
In 2015, when the death of black Baltimore resident Freddie Gray sparked the city's worst riots in decades, Cummings carried a bullhorn in the streets and urged crowds to go home and respect a curfew. He spoke at Gray's funeral, asking lawmakers in the church to stand up to show Gray's mother they would seek justice.
"I want justice, oceans of it. I want fairness, rivers of it. That's what I want. That's all I want," Cummings said, quoting from the Bible.
