Elijah Cummings praised as "honorable" man who stood up to corruption; former presidents speak at funeral
The funeral service for the late longtime Maryland congressman Elijah Cummings, who died last week at the age of 68, drew a who's-who of Washington to the New Psalmist Baptist Church in Baltimore Friday. Cummings lay in state Thursday in the U.S. Capitol.
Former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, as well as former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, were among the speakers commemorating Cummings at the service Friday.
Obama praised Cummings's honor, saying that Cummings was "honorable" before he took on the title of "the Honorable Elijah Cummings" as a member of Congress.
"Being a strong man includes being kind .... There's nothing weak about being honorable. You're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect," Obama said.
Obama steered clear of politics, exhorting the audience to follow Cummings's legacy.
"Elijah Cummings was a man of noble and good heart ... It now falls on us to continue his work," Obama said.
In her eulogy, Hillary Clinton compared Cummings to the Old Testament prophet Elijah. Without naming anyone, she noted that Cummings had stood up against corrupt leadership, like the Old Testament prophet — a comment that elicited applause and cheers from the audience.
"It is no coincidence that Elijah shared a name with an Old Testament prophet ... Like that Old Testament prophet he stood against the corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel," Clinton said. "Our Elijah was a huge champion for truth, justice and kindness in every part of his life."
In his remarks, former President Bill Clinton made a veiled reference to the impeachment inquiry against President Trump, telling the crowd, "We all know now that, at least until certain things happen, his legacy is how ardently he honored his oath to protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
He praised Cummings's tendency to form bipartisan friendships, and recalled when he visited the New Psalmist Baptist Church with Cummings as president.
"He knew that without the Constitution, the laws that were passed under it, the rights that were guaranteed by it and the abuses it was designed to prevent ... he would not have been in Congress," Clinton said, "and so he said to himself, 'I am certain every day, I will not let this promise be sullied.'"
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who as Democratic leader is overseeing the impeachment effort, took note in her eulogy of the bipartisan crowd at the church, which included many of Cummings's Republican colleagues and friends. She said he was known for his ability to work with people in both parties.
"Our Elijah always made a seat at the table for others," she said.
That was evident in his friendship with Republican Congressman Mark Meadows, who spoke Thursday of their "unexpected" bond. "This place and this country would be better served with a few more unexpected friendships. I know I've been blessed by one," Meadows said, with tears in his eyes.
Speaking at the ceremony at the Capitol Thursday as Cummings was lying in state, Pelosi referred to Cummings, who was deeply respected by both Democrats and Republicans, as the "North Star" of the House.
"God truly honored America with the life and legacy of Elijah Cummings," Pelosi said.
In her eulogy, the congressman's widow, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, who is the chair of the Maryland Democratic Party, praised her husband's leadership during President Trump's administration.
"He had to work to fight for the soul of our country against very real corruption," Rockeymoore Cummings said. Without referencing Mr. Trump by name, she alluded to the president's attacks on Cummings and city of Baltimore over the summer.
"It got infinitely more difficult in the last months of his life when he sustained personal attacks and attacks on his city," Rockeymoore Cummings said, adding that Cummings was "a man of utmost integrity."
She said that her husband worked until the end of his life because of his belief that "our democracy was the highest and best expression of our collective humanity and that our nation's diversity was our promise, not our problem."
A sharecropper's son, Cummings was a formidable orator who passionately advocated for the poor in his black-majority district, which encompasses a large portion of Baltimore as well as more well-to-do suburbs.
The House Oversight and Reform Committee chairman, a Democrat and 23-year House veteran, Cummings was a key figure in the impeachment inquiry into Mr. Trump and a recent target of intense criticism by President Trump. He led multiple investigations of Mr. Trump's dealings, including probes in 2019 relating to the president's family members serving in the White House.
The president responded by criticizing Cummings's district as a "rodent-infested mess" where "no human being would want to live." After Mr. Trump's criticism, Cummings said that government officials must stop making "hateful, incendiary comments" that only serve to divide and 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 in a speech at the National Press Club.
Throughout his career, Cummings used his fiery voice to highlight the struggles and needs of inner-city residents. He was a firm believer in some much-debated approaches to help the poor and addicted, such as needle exchange programs as a way to reduce the spread of AIDS. Cummings was very popular in his district, where he was a key member of the community.
Cummings said in an interview with "60 Minutes" in January that he was one of the few members of Congress who lived in an inner city environment.
"I like to be among my constituents," he said. "Let me tell you something man, if I don't do well in this block I'm in trouble. I mean, if you wanna take a poll, if I lost in this block I might as well go – I might as well stay home."
Elijah Cummings funeral speakers
Here is the list of speakers at Cummings's funeral on Friday:
- Dr. Maya Rockeymoore Cummings - Spouse
- The Honorable Barack Obama
- The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
- The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
- The Honorable Nancy Pelosi
- The Honorable Kweisi Mfume
- Ms. Jennifer and Ms. Adia Cummings- Daughters
- Mr. James Cummings - Brother
- Dr. Alfred Vaughn - Clergy
- Deaconess Margaret Ann Howie - New Psalmist Baptist Church
- Mr. Larry Gibson - Mentor
- Mr. Jon Alexander - Mentee
- Dr. Leana Wen - Mentee
- Mr. Harry Spikes - Congressional Staff