Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings Rejects Tour of HUD Facility in Baltimore

Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) turned down an offer to tour a Housing and Urban Development (HUD) facility in Baltimore with HUD Secretary Ben Carson on Wednesday.

The agency extended an invitation on Tuesday but Cummings turned down the request.

When reporters asked Carson about why Cummings was not present at a press conference, he responded Cummings may have been absent due to a scheduling conflict but did not elaborate on why he skipped the tour.

Carson visited the Baltimore facility soon after a series of weekend tweets from President Donald Trump criticized Cummings for being a “brutal bully,” alleging his district was in disrepair because of his lack of oversight.

If racist Elijah Cummings would focus more of his energy on helping the good people of his district, and Baltimore itself, perhaps progress could be made in fixing the mess that he has helped to create over many years of incompetent leadership. His radical “oversight” is a joke!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019

There is nothing racist in stating plainly what most people already know, that Elijah Cummings has done a terrible job for the people of his district, and of Baltimore itself. Dems always play the race card when they are unable to win with facts. Shame!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 28, 2019

Cummings fired back, reportedly blaming racism and Trump for Baltimore’s problems.

People like Elijah Cummings didn’t create Baltimore’s problems; it was people who cynically exploited racism for their own gain. Sound familiar, Mr. President? https://t.co/vtH0YhAEnO

— Elijah E. Cummings (@ReElectCummings) July 29, 2019

While critics have called Trump’s remarks “racist,” not many people have been able to counter Trump’s claims about Baltimore’s corruption, high-murder rate, and rat problems.

President Trump: "Baltimore's been very badly mishandled for many years…Baltimore is an example of what corrupt government leads to…If they ask me, we will get involved."

Full video: https://t.co/nmbeeOLn2i pic.twitter.com/R9CoUFJGdu

— CSPAN (@cspan) July 30, 2019

“The government has been pumping billions of dollars to no avail. Baltimore is an example of what corrupt government leads to. … I feel so sorry for the people of Baltimore, if they ask me we will get involved,” Trump told a crowd of reporters Tuesday.