Politics

Burglary at Rep. Elijah Cummings's Baltimore home reported hours before controversial Trump tweet

Key Points
  • Baltimore police are investigating a reported burglary at the home of Rep. Elijah Cummings last Saturday morning.
  • The suspected break-in occurred hours before President Donald Trump blasted Cummings, a Maryland Democrat, for representing a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" of a district.
  • Trump's tweet set off a firestorm of criticism and condemnations by Cummings' fellow Democrats and others.
U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) during a news conference to introduce H.R.1, the 'For the People Act,' on the U.S. Capitol on Friday, January 4, 2019, in Washington, D.C.
Salwan Georges | The Washington Post | Getty Images

Baltimore police are investigating a reported burglary at the home of Rep. Elijah Cummings early last Saturday morning, which occurred hours before President Donald Trump blasted the Maryland Democrat on Twitter for representing a "disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess" of a district.

Police said the burglary was reported at 3:40 a.m. at Cummings' house.

"At this time, it is unknown if any property was taken from the location," a police spokesman said.

Cummings' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Trump drew a firestorm of criticism later Saturday morning after he posted several tweets blasting Cummings, who as chairman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee is conducting investigations into the Trump administration.

Tweet

Cummings had drawn Trump's ire for, among other things, challenging acting head of Homeland Security Kevin McAleenan during a hearing on conditions at the southern border and children who have been separated from their parents.

Democrats, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, called Trump's tweets "racist" and "dangerous." A number of Republicans, while not directly criticizing Trump, said his tweets about Cummings were not a good idea.

But Trump double downed Sunday, when he tweeted that "Elijah Cummings has done a very poor job for his district and the City of Baltimore."

He called Cummings, who is black, a "racist," later that same day.

On Tuesday, Trump said that living in Baltimore is "like living in hell."

Baltimore had the third-highest number of incidents of violent crime per 100,000 residents in 2017, with 2,027, according to FBI statistics.

Tweet

Trump on Thursday continued his attacks on Cummings.

Speaking to reporters on the south lawn of the White House as news of the break-in began spreading online, Trump said that the responsibility for Baltimore's conditions lies with "people who've run Baltimore, headed up by Cummings."

In fact, Cummings does not run Baltimore, he represents residents of the city in Congress. Baltimore's chief executive is its mayor, Bernard Young.

"We've given billions to Baltimore they appreciate it," the president said. "It's the No. 1 city in U.S. for crime ... it's worse than Honduras."

"Cummings hasn't helped the people," Trump said.

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