THANK YOU SO MUCH.
>> THANK YOU.
>> H.R. McMASTER.
>>> NOW TO ANOTHER IMPORTANT
FIGURE.
EARLY LAST YEAR, THIS IS HOW
ELIJAH CUMMINGS CONCLUDED A
HOUSE HEARING WITH TRUMP’S
FORMER FIXER MICHAEL COHEN.
>> PEOPLE ARE NOW USING MY WORDS
THAT THEY TOOK FROM ME THAT
DIDN’T GIVE ME ANY CREDIT.
WE’RE BETTER THAN THIS.
WE ARE SO MUCH -- WE REALLY ARE.
AS A COUNTRY, WE ARE SO MUCH
BETTER THAN THIS.
I TELL MY CHILDREN, I SAY WHEN
BAD THINGS HAPPEN TO YOU, DO NOT
ASK THE QUESTION, WHY DID IT
HAPPEN TO ME.
ASK THE QUESTION, WHY DID IT
HAPPEN FOR ME?
I DON’T KNOW WHY THIS IS
HAPPENING FOR YOU.
BUT IT’S MY HOPE THAT A SMALL
PART OF IT IS FOR OUR COUNTRY TO
BE BETTER.
>> THOSE WORDS BROUGHT ME TO
TEARS.
WE ARE BETTER THAN THIS.
AND THEY’RE ALSO NOW THE TITLE
TO THE LATE CONGRESSMAN’S
POSTHUMOUS MEMO.
WE’RE BETTER THAN THIS.
MY FIGHT FOR THE FUTURE OF OUR
DEMOCRACY WHICH WEAVES PERSONAL
STORIES IN WITH THE POLITICAL
DRAMA OF DOING BATTLE WITH THE
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION AS THE THEN
HEAD OF THE HOUSE OVERSIGHT
COMMITTEE.
JOINING US NOW IS THE LATE
CONGRESSMAN’S WIDOW, MAYA
ROCKYMORE CUMMINGS.
GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK ON THE
SHOW.
GREAT TO SEE YOU.
>> SO GREAT --
>> I’M SO GLAD THAT YOU WORKED
ON THIS PROJECT ON PUTTING
TOGETHER THIS BOOK.
TELL US ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT DOES
INVOLVE A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS
WITH ELIJAH BEFORE HE PASSED.
>> HOURS UPON HOURS OF
CONVERSATION.
SO THE LAST YEAR OF HIS LIFE WAS
BASICALLY DEDICATED TO MAKING
SURE THAT HE SHARED THIS -- WHAT
I CALL HIS LOVE LETTER WITH THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
HE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT
AMERICANS UNDERSTOOD WHAT’S AT
STAKE IN THIS ELECTION YEAR.
AND ELIJAH BELIEVED FIRMLY THAT
DONALD TRUMP WASN’T JUST THE
WRONG PERSON FOR THE POSITION.
HE BELIEVED THAT HE WAS A DIRECT
THREAT TO THE PEOPLE AND TO OUR
SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT.
AND SO HIS CALL THAT WE’RE
BETTER THAN THIS IS TO NOT JUST
FIND COMMON GROUND IN THIS
ELECTION SEASON AND BEYOND BUT
TO FIND HIGHER GROUND THAT WE
ACTUALLY NEED TO COME TOGETHER
AS A NATION TO DEFEAT THIS
PRESIDENT BECAUSE HE DOES NOT
HAVE THE CAPACITY NOR THE WILL
TO ENSURE THAT OUR DEMOCRACY
SUSTAINS THE TEST OF TIME.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN’T KNOW
ELIJAH WAS SICK.
IN FACT, WHEN YOU AND -- HE WAS
AT OUR WEDDING.
HE OFFICIATED OUR WEDDING.
YOU SAID HE DOESN’T WANT TO TALK
ABOUT IT.
HE’S JUST SO GLAD TO BE HERE.
BUT THERE WERE TIMES, ESPECIALLY
WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP, WHERE HE
WAS DEEPLY HURT.
PERSONALLY HURT BY THE
PRESIDENT.
AND YOU TALK ABOUT THAT.
CAN YOU TELL US WHAT THAT WAS
LIKE AND WHY THAT MATTERED SO
MUCH TO HIM?
YOU KNOW, AS COMPARED TO THE
ACTUAL PHYSICAL PAIN THAT HE WAS
IN.
>> SO ELIJAH WAS A MAN THAT ROSE
ABOVE PARTY POLITICS.
HE BELIEVED THAT YOU COULD GET
TO KNOW ANYONE ON A PERSONAL
BASIS, AND THAT COULD SERVE AS
THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO GOOD
THINGS ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE.
AND SO IN 2017, DESPITE
EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENED IN THE
ELECTION OF DONALD J. TRUMP,
ELIJAH REACHED OUT TO HIM.
WE WENT TO HIS INAUGURATION.
WE WENT TO A WHITE HOUSE
MEETING, AND HE MET WITH DONALD
TRUMP AND ASKED HIM TO WORK ON
LOWERING PRESCRIPTION DRUG COSTS
FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.
AND DONALD TRUMP BASICALLY WENT
OUT OF THE MEETING LIVE AND
TURNED HIS BACK ON HIM.
ELIJAH THEN EXPECTED DONALD
TRUMP TO START ATTACKING HIM,
AND HE DID.
YOU KNOW, A YEAR LATER, HE WAS
ATTACKING BALTIMORE AND ELIJAH
BECAUSE OF ALL OF THE
INVESTIGATIONS THAT ELIJAH HAD
TO MANAGE THAT WERE COMING OUT
OF THE SCANDALS COMING OUT OF
THE WHITE HOUSE.
AND SO IT HURT ELIJAH DEEPLY.
I THINK IT FACILITATED HIS
DEATH.
AND I THINK THAT CERTAINLY I
THINK THE PRESIDENT UNDERSTANDS
THAT HIS WORDS HAVE IMPACT AND
IMPORT.
AND HE DELIBERATELY ATTACKED
ELIJAH AND THE CITY OF BALTIMORE
BECAUSE HE WAS TRYING TO
UNDERMINE ELIJAH’S EFFECTIVENESS
AND LEADERSHIP.
>> MAYA, IT’S WILLIE GEIST.
I CAN’T BELIEVE IT’S ALMOST A
YEAR SINCE CONGRESSMAN CUMMINGS
DIED.
OUR ONGOING CONDOLENCES TO YOU
AND YOUR FAMILY.
>> THANK YOU WILLIE.
>> I WAS THINKING ABOUT JON
MEACHAM WHO SAID JOHN LEWIS’
LAST WORDS TO HIM WERE KEEP THE
FAITH.
HE REMAINED HOPEFUL UNTIL THE
END ABOUT THE COUNTRY.
WHAT WAS ELIJAH’S MESSAGE TO YOU
AND THE COUNTRY IN THE FINAL
MOMENTS.
HOW DID HE FEEL ABOUT WHERE WE
WERE AS A COUNTRY AND WHERE WE
COULD GO?
>> IT’S THIS BOOK.
AND THAT’S WHY I ENCOURAGE
EVERYONE TO PICK IT UP.
IT’S ON HOW WE’VE BEEN BETTER IN
THE PAST.
HOW WE’VE RISEN TO -- AS A
NATION.
HOW WE’VE UNIFIED TO OVERCOME
ALL KINDS OF OBSTACLES, AND THAT
WE CAN DO IT AGAIN.
WE CAN OVERCOME THIS
ADMINISTRATION.
ITS MENDACITY AND ITS
CORRUPTION.
AND SO WITH THAT, THIS MESSAGE,
THIS BOOK IS ELIJAH’S FINAL
MESSAGE TO ME AND THE AMERICAN
PEOPLE ABOUT WHERE WE NEED TO
GO.
AND I CERTAINLY WANT TO
EMPHASIZE THAT IT’S UP TO THE
AMERICAN PEOPLE.
HE WANTED THE AMERICAN PEOPLE TO
BE THE HEROS IN THE STORY
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THE POWER
THROUGH THE POWER OF THE BALLOT
TO CHANGE THIS NARRATIVE AND
PRESERVE OUR DEMOCRACY AND OUR
REPUBLIC FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS.
>> MAYA, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
BRINGING THIS TO US AND FOR
BEING ON TODAY.
CONGRESSMAN ELIJAH CUMMINGS
POSTHUMOUS MEMOIR IS TITLED
"WE’RE BETTER THAN THIS: MY