The nation honors Rep. Elijah Cummings

By Fernando Alfonso III, Mike Hayes, Zoe Sottile and Veronica Rocha, CNN

Updated 4:47 PM ET, Fri October 25, 2019
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3:22 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

Remembering Elijah Cummings

We're wrapping up our live coverage, but if you're looking for more on Rep. Elijah Cummings' service, you can...

  • Watch former President Barack Obama's eulogy
  • Look through photos of the funeral
  • See why Cummings' widow's tribute brought the crowd to their feet
  • Read about how Congressional leaders honored him yesterday

2:34 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

Key quotes from Rep. Elijah Cummings' funeral service

Julio Cortez/AP
Julio Cortez/AP

Hundreds of people gathered this morning in Baltimore for the funeral service of the late Rep. Elijah Cummings — including former presidents and other powerful politicians who came to remember the congressman.

Cummings, a longtime Maryland Democrat and key figure leading investigations into President Trump, died last week at the age of 68. He was the first African American congressman to lie in repose at the Capitol.

Here's a look back at the service:

  • Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: "Like the prophet, our Elijah could also call down fire from heaven. He stood against corrupt leadership," Clinton said to vigorous applause. "Our Elijah was a champion for truth, kindness, and justice in every part of his life." Clinton also added: "And he liked to remind all of us that you can’t get so caught up in who you are fighting that you forget what you are fighting for."
  • Dr. Leana Wen: "In his presence we know that we are seen, we are heard, and we matter."
  • Dr. Maya Rockeymoore-Cummings: "And now he had to go on to actually work to fight for the soul of our democracy against very real corruption," she said of the congressman's work. "One thing that you do not know about Congressman Cummings is that he was a man of soul and spirit, he felt very deeply, he was very empathetic." 
  • Former President Bill Clinton: "I love every minute I ever spent with him, every conversation we ever had. But we should hear him now in the quiet times at night and in the morning, when we need courage, when we get discouraged, when we don’t know if we can believe anymore, we should hear him."
  • Former President Barack Obama: "He was never complacent, for he knew that without clarity of purpose and a steadfast faith and a dogged determination demanded by our liberty, the promise of this nation could wither. Complacency, he knew, was not only corrosive for our collective lives, but for our individual lives," Obama said to applause. "You're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect."
1:36 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

Pastor says signing a pair of subpoenas wasn't Cummings only last official act

Pool
Pool

Bishop Walter S. Thompson Sr. said he saw Rep. Elijah Cummings on the morning that he signed a pair of subpoenas. It would be one of Cummings' last official acts.

"I saw him that morning. I did not know he was still working, but he was working," he said. "But that was not his last official act for God... But Elijah's last official act for the kingdom of God was to bring power to church," he said.

About the subpoenas: In one of his last official acts before his death, Cummings signed two subpoenas for documents related to a temporary end to a policy change that allowed some immigrants with severe health issues to remain in the US.

Hours before his passing, staffers drove the subpoenas to Baltimore for Cummings' signature, said a Democratic committee aide.

1:03 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

Obama: "You're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect"

Joshua Roberts/Pool/Getty Images
Joshua Roberts/Pool/Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama spoke today at Rep. Elijah Cummings' funeral, commenting on the late lawmaker's "steadfast faith" and "dogged determination."

"He was never complacent, for he knew that without clarity of purpose and a steadfast faith and a dogged determination demanded by our liberty, the promise of this nation could wither. Complacency, he knew, was not only corrosive for our collective lives, but for our individual lives," Obama said to applause.

"You're not a sucker to have integrity and to treat others with respect," Obama added.

1:04 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

Bill Clinton: "I love every minute I ever spent with him"

Joshua Roberts/Pool/Getty Images
Joshua Roberts/Pool/Getty Images

Former President Bill Clinton said although the late congressman is gone, he should remain a constant voice of encouragement and courage.

Clinton said he loved "every minute" of his conversations with Rep. Elijah Cummings.

"I love every minute I ever spent with him, every conversation we ever had. But we should hear him now in the quiet times at night and in the morning, when we need courage, when we get discouraged, when we don’t know if we can believe anymore, we should hear him," Clinton said to applause.

12:52 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

President Barack Obama explains why Rep. Cummings grew up going to airports

From CNN's Zoe Sottile

Pool
Pool

This morning at the late Rep. Elijah Cummings' funeral in Baltimore, former President Barack Obama spoke about the congressman's humble upbringing.

Obama shared a story Cummings told about his father, Robert, who worked as a sharecropper.

They’d go to the airport not to board their planes, but to watch others do it. Robert would say, I have not flied, I may not fly, but you will fly one day. We can't afford it right now, but you will fly.
12:44 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

NOW: Former President Obama speaks

President Obama just took the stage to speak about Rep. Elijah Cummings. You can watch live above.

12:40 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

Former President Bill Clinton speaks to Cummings' "oath to protect and defend the Constitution"

From CNN's Zoe Sottile

Speaking at the late Rep. Elijah Cummings' funeral in Baltimore this morning, former President Bill Clinton spoke to the congressman's dedication in defending the Constitution.

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," Clinton said.

The congressman served as the chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, one of the panels involved in the impeachment inquiry of Trump.

He oversaw a range of investigations into the Trump administration, from issues relating to the impeachment inquiry to the treatment of migrants at the southern border to the use of personal email for official use by White House officials to how a citizenship question was considered for the US census.

12:34 p.m. ET, October 25, 2019

NOW: Former President Bill Clinton remembers Cummings

Pool
Pool

President Bill Clinton just took the stage to give remarks at late Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings' funeral in Baltimore. Watch live above.