Representative Elijah E. Cummings, a son of sharecroppers who rose to become one of the most powerful Democrats in Congress and a key figure in the impeachment investigation of President Trump, died on Thursday in Baltimore, his spokeswoman said. He was 68.
His death resulted from โcomplications concerning longstanding health challenges,โ the spokeswoman, Trudy Perkins, said in a statement, without elaborating on the cause.
As chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Mr. Cummings, of Maryland, had sweeping power to investigate Mr. Trump and his administration โ and he used it.
A critical ally of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Cummings spent his final months in Congress sparring with the president, calling Mr. Trumpโs effort to block congressional lines of inquiry โfar worse than Watergate.โ He was sued by Mr. Trump as the president tried to keep his business records secret. Red more