Elijah Cummings was kept busy to the very end of his life leading an investigation into Donald Trump before passing away at the age of 68 on Wednesday, his aides have said.
The chairman of the House Oversight Committee was signing subpoenas from his hospital bed, one aide told the New York Times.
He also helped lead a Democratic caucus conference call.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi described Mr Cummings as a “north star” who spoke with “unsurpassed clarity and moral integrity” on the House floor.
Ms Pelosi, who grew up in the city Mr Cummings represented, said he was her “brother in Baltimore” during a press conference on Thursday, adding: “We’ve all lost a friend … I’m devastated by the loss.”
Despite not having participated in a roll call vote since September, the late congressman was continuing to spearhead the oversight committee’s impeachment inquiry into Mr Trump along with two other House committees handling the investigation. – READ MORE