Transcripts For CSPAN2 Maya Rockeymoore Cummings On The Late

Afterwards. High everyone, my name is brittany kerr. ,deputy director of events at politics and prose and id like to welcome you all. A few housekeeping items before we again, first i will be dropping links in the chapter you can purchase copies of both speakers books today, straight from pmpyou can also ask the author question today by clicking on the q a button at the bottom of the screen and we will try to address everybodys questions near the end of the program but if we dont get to your exact question we apologize, i have a feeling there will be lots of questions today. It is my pleasure to introduce todays speakers, first, Maya Rockeymoore cummings, the former chair of the Maryland Democratic party and wife of the late congressman Elijah Cummings. In were better than this, congressman cummings details the formative moments in his life that prepared him to hold President Donald Trump accountable for his actions while in office. s final words are a call to action for us all to remain rooted politics of optimism and mass change in any way we can. Moderating tonights conversation is april ryan, cnn political analyst, dc bureau chief for American Urban Radio Network and author most recently of under fire, reporting from the front lines of the trump white house. Please welcome maia and april 2 p p live. Everyone, thank you for joining, this is going to be an excellent conversation and we encourage you to come in with questions. This moment is powerful and we are going to speak to a man who address this moment and moments before and beyond. This book for me is a tough read. As you know, im a kid from baltimore grew up to be a woman in baltimore and i happen to call this man friend. I read this book, you see it was a tough read because it was his voice, it was him. We lost him about almost a year ago. We need to understand, what this book does is take the veil off of washington, take the veil off of conversations about the city of baltimore, take the veil off of hearings and oversight and government reform. With us today is doctor Maya Rockeymoore cummings, the widow of the late congressman Elijah Cummings. I can tell you, hello doctor Maya Rockeymoore cummings. Hey, april, its a pleasure to be on with you today. Lets put it on the table, transparency is a lot, we know each other very well. I know this couple so well that i know that they been working for years on a book and finally we got this book and i know congressman cummings they were working on his life and his life is here. Its baltimore its the white house and donald trump its what the future could look like, its activism its power that Means Service but i want to talk about the man before we get into his book were better than this, my fight for the future of our democracy before we even get into the meat of the book we are in a moment and a time thats unprecedented we could never have imagined we are trying to save off depression in the midst of a recession we are dealing with a pandemic, a Global Pandemic with the confirmed numbers that are unprecedented. And those who contracting and affecting communities that look like us. Also in the midst of a racial reckoning. Your husband was not only a politician, he was powerful but he was also an activist. What would my friend, your late husband, and the fred to allamerican global citizens say about this moment in time we are sitting in . If the title of the book that we are better than this, that weve got to do better and weve got to be better. He would not be surprised by Mitch Mcconnell and donald trump move. With regards to the almost immediate replacement for the attempt to replace justice ginsburg. He would not have been surprised at the hypocrisy because that has become basically part and parcel of the republican playbook. A sickly make the rules as you go along for partisan advantage. Elijah wouldve been saying that we are better than this, he wouldve been urging people of america, as he says in the book, that youve got to be the heroes here. Donald trump is a corrupt leader and he has to be defeated. That is why elijah, part of the reason why elijah wrote the book in the final years he wanted to give his last warning to the American People about the kind of person we have sitting in the white house and what we need to do to defeat him in this fall election. He viewed this fall election at ground zero in the battle for the future of our democracy. I want to jump forward in the book because i want people to understand how much Elijah Cummings gave his life to this country and to democracy. You said that he was working to his very last breath. Lets talk about his Health Concerns as he started declining because around impeachment thats when we knew things were getting worse. Lets talk about that first before we go into the book. You speak very candidly, very candid in the book about what his maladies were. It was a several year process. It wasnt like it just all of a sudden happened. I have a responsibility. He was a man of deep responsibility. He took his job seriously. About 2. 5 years before his death he actually had congestive heart failure, what seemed like, he was very short of breath, his legs started swelling. We went to the doctor and they said that basically he had a malfunctioning aortic heart valve so we went to a physician here at Johns Hopkins university and it turns out that he is the world leading expert and they scheduled elijah for surgery, he went in and unfortunately what ended up happening was instead of the three day, the fourday hospital visit it turned into a three month hospital stay. Where elijah had complications from the surgery, the surgery was successful but complications related to other health conditions. That period of time ended up taking his ability to walk. At that time, he was in the hospital, he was getting rehabilitation help and he was determined to regain his mobility. He did regain his mobility and was able to walk out of the hospital and get stronger. However, by december of 2018, january 2019, things shifted dramatically. He got an infection as a result of he was susceptible because of the earlier surgery. The infection went to his knees, interestingly enough. The doctors performed two surgeries on his kneecap they were trying to flush out the infection. Unfortunately that took his mobility, he was never able to walk again. After those procedures. So you could see that it depressed him. That he was no longer he had to walk with the assistance of a walker when he could, certainly he got a little motor scooter for the u. S. Capital. But then we continued on that game for a while. Then in the summer of 2019 he started to decline. He got pneumonia and still dead by the way, a National Press Club Appearance in the midst of his pneumonia, left the hospital for a four hour pass and then came back. Then his kidneys failed and the cancer started spreading. We tried to get him established on a dialysis routine and it was only a short amount of time before they said they couldnt abhe couldnt do it in the regular way because they couldnt establish abfor him which wouldve made dialysis easier so they admitted him to the hospital and he never came out again. That is the time that everybody thinks of as the moment of decline but it had been a series of events that happened with his health. When he went into the hospital for the final month and and a half two months it was just heart wrenching. He kept doing work but you could tell that i think he felt like his time was coming to an end. He would say im tired im tired. So with that, the elijah that we know, the fighting spirit, the man was so strong he fought off cancer for 25 years, that internal spirit was dimming at the end. It was rough and it was hard for everyone. But elijah was just a beautiful spirit and im just fortunate for the time we have on this earth. Most definitely a beautiful fighting spirit. I remember talking to congressional leaders, he was on a democratic call with many of the congressional leaders you say his spirit was dimming but he was still on the congressional call the friday before he passed. He was on conference calls, he spoke to nancy pelosi on several occasions. Working. Working. Working. He signed subpoenas, he discussed impeachment. He was working. That was despite the pain and he was medicated. It was despite the medication and despite the pain. Understanding that democracy was at stake. Ahead of government oversight and understanding the weight of the duty that he carried he put the country and front of his own health and dimming spirit. This is the book were better than this, i want to go to chapter 1. This book reads like moments that we remember. And moments in the news that we remember and his voice was so clear. I met with donald trump in good faith and then he lied to me. It was one of hundreds and thousands of lives donald trump would tell not only to me but to the country and the world. But i didnt know the scale of it yet. None of us did. If anyone had told us, we would have said thats impossible, he is the president of the United States. That is powerful, i remember that moment and this moment, this is the beginning the first page of the book i remember that moment, this was january 20 Inauguration Day for donald trump, you and Elijah Cummings were at the inauguration of the 45th president of the United States you made it to the luncheon the annual luncheon after the swearingin, taking the oath of office and congressman cummings said that he had to get approval from then congressman john lewis before he said he was going to go to the inauguration. What happens is that many congressional leaders may or may not go but mcgrath did not want to go to this one. Many members of the Congressional Black Caucus a that she did not want to step on his friend congressman john lewis his toes. So first of all leisure respected josh lewis pretty considered him a friend and a mentor. So when john lewis is reading this and boycott, elijah did not want to do anything to offend him. Weve been talking whether or not we would of a ten for weeks out of deep respect for john lewis, he actually made a decision. And he went to ask for his permission to go. Fed john lewis said yes certainly, he understood. And so we attended. That is how we happen to be sitting behind donald don trump as he made his infamous naga ration speech. And then after words went into the capital for the luncheon parade we were seated with trum trumps think it was his cousins, his First Cousins at a table with them. It was weird because they look like they were weirded out. [laughter] summit they were like mary trump . Soon they were perfectly pleasant. One of them knew elijah and wanted to take a picture with him i believe. And so we watched everything taking place. Of all coat was Walking Around the room holding court. The first lady was sitting down welcoming everyone who came up to the first table to meet her. We make the speeches or part of our luncheon i said lets go we pushed back our chairs, we head to the head table. And Donald John Trump stands up with Vice President pence by his side. And elisha introduces us. And then, they make a little small talk. And then elijah says i would love to meet with you mr. President. I would love to meet with you because the companies are gouging the American People. And people are dying because they cannot afford the cost of Prescription Drugs. I think we can Work Together to help the American People by lowering Prescription Drug costs. And i want to talk to you about that. And donald was gracious he was like absolutely. He told Vice President pence, get on it. What Vice President pence got on it and set up a meeting. Unfortunately that first meetin meeting, did not happen. But did happen the second time. Why havent to the first meeting . That youre asking me a question. Host after that your husband was giddy about that. He was giddy about helping people, not giddy about necessarily meeting with the president of the United States. It was about helping people. Because congressman cummings said many people in your district cannot afford drugs medicine. So congressman cummings reached out and set of got a chance to move the president , i will let you know. I said really, we were texting back and forth about it. She was very eager to meet with the president about this issue. So lets go lets fastforward after the inauguration that was generated 20th. Lets go to the First White House press conference with this president of the United States. The infamous if you will, i got up and asked the president about the question about what is he going to do for urban america with his agenda is urban agenda. I said you contacted cdc, the black caucus, and he brings up congressman Elisha Cummings nam name. Theres a gap in time between that moment from the meeting and inauguration. And, the press conference. You guys can google it, you will see everything and what we are saying. Instead of with just dealing the issue he went off on congressman Elijah Cummings inc. He doesnt want the meeting because he doesnt want to talk to me he reached out to me. It wasnt congressman Elisha Cummings not one to meet it was the fact that his staff was so new, they did not know how to put the meeting together. Great glad. Guest there is a scheduling conflict. Thats of the white house said. When im told is a did not know how to put the meeting together prayed they were also known did not know how to work it out. Because i asked that question it started th the the ball rolling for them to meet for the finally met in the congressman text me icicle after meeting, the president said that you said he would be the best president ever. And he said thats not how it went go ahead, go ahead. So this is his recounting of the meeting to be prayed theres a portion of this meeting that is not in the book. But i will tell because i can. Host it gives you everythin everything. We are filling in a lot of the lines to today. He talked to him, with the president at john hopkins hospital. Its an expert on the high cost of Prescription Drugs was affecting hospital costs. Houston alleges district and he also said a colleague. But before we could get in the room, he was met at the door. [laughter] and he tried to hustle her way into the meeting. And alleges that thats okay, we understand that you have more important things to do. So we will be okay with going into this meeting alone. She was a in charge of anything and everything black. This was not a black issue having to be a black congressperson to go ahead. Should not been invited to the meeting with straight edge her way in. Analyzers like no, we will be okay. So anyway he went into that meeting and in that meeting, he thought it went incredibly well. Donald j trump was receptive, they topped deeply in about the issue. They talk frankly about who they were as people or at least allies are dead. And then afterward he left thinking that it went pretty well. That is until its on the News Coverage after words. And in the News Coverage after words he found out that donald trump promptly went out to the median light about what he said. He lied and said something to the effect of Elisha Cummings that i will go down in history as the best president ever, which is not what elijah said. Elijah said if you serve all the people. A few serve all of the people you may go down is the best president. And that is of course donald trump went out and twisted his words in a way of course that stroked his ego. And then elijah never heard from eric again on the issue. In all the investigation started rolling in. Everything from security clearances and emails, you name it the stuff started rolling in like a tidal wave. It was amazing. Eliza had gone in, taken the measure of the man and he determined that this man was not just wrong for the job. But he was a threat to the American People in our system of government. Host National Security threat to National Security threat to our very existence. That is whats been reported by many democrats. That is what your husband, your late husband fought against, the threats from the administration. Thats what he held the hearing for. Just to add a little bit to this story, so when that happened they were great in the meeting. But once he left the meeting, is not the Elijah Cummings that i know. So i picked up the phone and again you statement sing exactly what you said. So that right there started the friction between president Donald John Trump and eliza. Because you cannot go against the president s words. Lets talk about another wendys hearings and investigations attend this book. Lets go to Michael Cohen. See that is page 93 this book is tabbed. And we watched all of this unfold on television. Page 93 ratio right hand, do you swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth . The witness affirmed i do, take it from there. So and then Michael Cohen comment to alleges deep belief proceeded to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth. So his truth tel