The late Elijah Cummings, a key player in the Trump impeachment inquiry, was signing subpoenas from his hospital bed

Cummings died early Thursday morning at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore at 68 years old, his office said.
As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings led the charge on the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump that began three weeks ago.
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Aides to the late Rep. Elijah Cummings said that the congressman was active until his death, helping lead a Democratic caucus conference call and signing subpoenas from his hospital bed, The New York Times' Sheryl Gay Stolberg reported .

As chairman of the House Oversight Committee, Cummings led the charge on the impeachment inquiry into President Donald Trump that began three weeks ago. He died early Thursday morning at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore at 68 years old, his office said.

Cummings, a civil rights icon, represented Maryland's 7th congressional district, serving 12 consecutive terms beginning in 1996. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who launched the impeachment inquiry alongside the chairman, said she was devastated by his loss, calling him her friend and her "brother in Baltimore," as he represented the district where she grew up.

The Maryland Democrat was also a fierce opponent to President Donald Trump. After taking the reins of the House Oversight Committee he launched investigations into the president's dealings in Russia, his hotel in DC, the emoluments clause, and security clearances in the White House.

Trump tweeted attacks on the lawmaker and his district, saying that his district a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" in which "no human being" would want to live, saying that his constituency was "the worst run and most dangerous anywhere in the United States."

Cummings responded to the president's comments in an interview with NPR .

"We must also stop the hateful, incendiary comments; we've got to do it," Cummings told NPR. "Those in highest levels of government must stop invoking fear, using racist language and encouraging reprehensible behavior."

On Thursday, Trump offered his condolences to family and friends of the late congressman.

"I got to see first hand the strength, passion and wisdom of this highly respected political leader," Trump wrote in the tweet . "His work and voice on so many fronts will be very hard, if not impossible, to replace!