Obama to deliver remarks at Cummings’s funeral

Former President Barack Obama will reportedly speak at the funeral of late Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.). 

“On Friday, @BarackObama will attend the service for @RepCummings,” tweeted Obama spokesperson Katie Hill. 

She added that Obama “will deliver remarks about the remarkable life and legacy of one of this country’s finest public servants” at the request of Cummings’s wife and Maryland Democratic Party Chair Maya Rockeymoore Cummings.  

On Friday, @BarackObama will attend the service for @RepCummings. At Mrs. Rockeymoore-Cummings’ request, he’ll deliver remarks about the remarkable life and legacy of one of this country’s finest public servants.

— Katie Hill (@KatieMHill) October 24, 2019

Cummings died last week at age 68. He was chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, one of the three panels leading an impeachment probe into President Trump. His office said he died from “longstanding health challenges.”{mosads}

Obama said in a statement that he and former First Lady Michelle Obama were “heartbroken” over Cummings’s death.

“As Chairman of the House Oversight Committee, he showed us all not only the importance of checks and balances within our democracy, but also the necessity of good people stewarding it,” the former president said. 

“Steely yet compassionate, principled yet open to new perspectives, Chairman Cummings remained steadfast in his pursuit of truth, justice, and reconciliation. It’s a tribute to his native Baltimore that one of its own brought such character, tact, and resolve into the halls of power every day,” he continued. 

Cummings will lie in state at the U.S. Capitol on Thursday.

The funeral service will be held in his hometown of Baltimore on Friday.