'Huge loss for the nation': Rep. Elijah Cummings — a 'trailblazer' — dies at 68

Rep. Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat and chairman of the House Oversight Committee, died at Johns Hopkins Hospital at the age of 68 Thursday from "complications concerning longstanding health challenges," his office said in a statement.

Cummings played a significant role in numerous investigations into President Donald Trump's conduct and policies, including his mass detention of children at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Maryland Democrat also played a central role in the House impeachment inquiry into the president.

In July, Trump launched vicious and racist attacks on Cummings and his Baltimore district.

"Mr. President, I go home to my district daily. Each morning, I wake up, and I go and fight for my neighbors," Cummings tweeted in response to the president's attacks. "It is my constitutional duty to conduct oversight of the Executive Branch. But, it is my moral duty to fight for my constituents."

News of Cummings' death was met with an outpouring of grief and well-wishes for his family on social media: