Hillary Clinton Compares Deceased Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings To Biblical Prophet Elijah At Funeral

Politico had the following to say about Hillary Clinton's use of Cummings' funeral to take hits at President Trump and compare the congressman to a prophet of old:

In a eulogy filled with biblical references, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton praised the chairman of the powerful House Oversight Committee, who died last Thursday, for speaking truth to power up to the end of his life. 

"Toward the end of his life, he said, ‘I am begging the American people to pay attention to what is going on, because if you want to have a democracy intact for your children and your children's children, and generations yet unborn, we have got to guard this moment. This is our watch,’” Clinton recalled Cummings saying. 

        “‘When we're dancing with the angels, the question will be asked,’ he said, ‘In 2019 what did we do to make sure we kept our democracy intact?’” she continued, referencing the angels phrase that Cummings often employed. The late congressman, who on Thursday became the first black lawmaker to lie in state at the U.S. Capitol, was known for battling perceived abuses of power by the Trump administration, and as Oversight chairman had played a role in the ongoing impeachment investigation into President Donald Trump. 

In remarks punctured with applause from the audience, Clinton drew standing cheers when she compared Cummings with the Old Testament prophet for whom he was named, noting that he “he stood against the corrupt leadership” of biblical figures, an apparent reference to his role in battling the Trump administration. 

At the beginning of her remarks, Clinton thanked the constituents of his Baltimore-area congressional district for sharing their beloved congressman “with our country and the world” and praised his much-lauded oratorical style, noting that “like the prophet, our Elijah could call down fire from heaven.” 

The New York Times also said:

Speaking at the funeral of Representative Elijah E. Cummings, former President Bill Clinton and Hillary Clinton, the former secretary of state, offered a forceful defense of democracy and compared the late congressman, a leader in the impeachment inquiry into President Trump, to the prophet Elijah.

“Like that Old Testament prophet, he stood against the corrupt leadership of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel,” Mrs. Clinton said, to a roar of applause from the congregation. “And he looked out for the vulnerable among us. He lifted up the next generation of leaders. And he even worked a few miracles.”

Mr. Cummings, a Maryland Democrat who was serving his 13th term in the House of Representatives, died last week in Baltimore at 68. As chairman of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, he earned the ire of Mr. Trump for his support of impeachment and investigations into the president’s finances.