Elijah Cummings' Death Prompts Tributes From Donald Trump And Hillary Clinton
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In a released statement, the late Democrat congressman's wife Maya Rockeymoore praises him for serving 'his district and the nation with dignity, integrity, compassion and humility.'

AceShowbiz - Veteran U.S. congressman and lawyer Elijah Cummings has died at the age of 68.

Cummings, a Democrat from Baltimore, Maryland, who clashed with U.S. President Donald Trump and was heavily involved with the ongoing impeachment inquiry, died on Thursday, October 17, due to, "longstanding health challenges," according to a statement issued by his office.

The late politician was the head of the U.S. House of Representatives Oversight Committee, and instigated several investigations into the Trump administration, and was a key figure in Democrats' attempt to impeach the president.

Paying tribute to her husband, his wife, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, told CNN, "He served his district and the nation with dignity, integrity, compassion and humility. He worked until his last breath because he believed our democracy was the highest and best collective expression of our collective humanity."

First elected to the House in 1996 after a distinguished career in local politics, Cummings hit the headlines earlier this year when his attempts to hold the Trump administration to account on healthcare and immigration sent the president into a rage.

Trump berated the lawmaker and his home city on Twitter for a week, describing Cummings' Baltimore district as a "disgusting, rat and rodent-infested mess" in a tweet in July that many Democrats called racist.

Donald Trump Paid Tribute to Elijah Cummings

Donald Trump calls Elijah Cummings 'highly respected political leader.'

However, the President paid tribute to Cummings as a "highly respected political leader" on Twitter after his death, with his 2016 election rival Hillary Clinton calling the late politician "a man of principle who championed truth, justice and kindness."

Hillary Clinton Paid Tribute to Elijah Cummings

Hillary Clinton remembers Cummings as 'a man of principle.'

Stars who paid tribute to the congressman on Twitter after his passing included Rob Reiner, George Takei and Sinead O'Connor.

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