Cummings invites Trump to visit Baltimore

House Oversight Committee Chairman Elijah Cummings reportedly invited President Trump to visit Baltimore amid ongoing fallout over Trump’s criticism of the Maryland Democrat and his characterization of Cummings’s hometown.

“We are a great community,” Cummings said Saturday at the opening of a new public park in what had previously been a vacant lot, according to The Associated Press.

{mosads}“Come to Baltimore. Do not just criticize us, but come to Baltimore and I promise you, you will be welcomed,” he added.

Cummings did not initially mention Trump by name in his remarks, but when asked by reporters if his invitation extended to the president, he responded, “the president is welcome to our district,” according to the AP.

The committee chairman added that his message to the city’s residents was “let no one define you.”

Last weekend, Trump tweeted that Cummings’s district was a “rat and rodent infested mess” where “no human being would want to live,” an attack reminiscent of previous tweets about Rep. John Lewis (D-Ga.) and four progressive minority congresswomen.

Cummings also told reporters on Saturday he remains unready to support impeaching Trump, even as a majority of House Democrats have come out in support of an impeachment inquiry, according to the AP. Cummings said that, like Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), his position is to let various House investigations play out.

“There may well come a time when impeachment is appropriate,” he said. 

“I’m trying to be fair to him,” he added. “That’s why we need to do our research.”