A top House Democrat who was pivotal to the second Trump impeachment effort and the Jan. 6 committee has received a serious medical diagnosis.
Jamie Raskin of Maryland announced in a Wednesday news release that he has cancer.
“After several days of tests, I have been diagnosed with Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form of cancer,” Raskin said.
“I am about to embark on a course of chemo-immunotherapy on an outpatient basis at Med Star Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.”
Raskin continued by stating that the prognosis is very good, with four months of treatment expected to rid his body of cancer.
Despite the treatment, which Raskin says will lead to “hair loss and weight gain,” he will be able to continue his work in Congress.
The Jan. 6 committee member vowed that his illness will not distract from the investigation.
“I plan to get through this and, in the meantime, to keep making progress every day in Congress for American democracy,” Raskin said.
He will begin his treatment this week, CNN reported.
Was the Jan. 6 committee politically motivated?
Yes: 98% (813 Votes)
No: 2% (13 Votes)
Raskin has been a key figure in Democrats’ efforts to punish Donald Trump for supposed wrongdoing.
On top of serving on the Jan. 6 committee, Raskin was the lead impeachment manager for Trump’s second impeachment trial in 2021.
While Raskin has fancied himself a champion of American democracy, he has sought to undermine the election system several times in his career.
According to Politico, the Maryland Democrat went on CBS on Sunday and condemned the Electoral College as a “danger” to American democracy.
“I think that the Electoral College now, which has given us five popular vote losers as president in our history — twice in this century alone — has become a danger,” he said.
According to Real Clear Politics, Raskin also objected to the certification of Trump’s election in 2017, though his challenge did not go far.
Raskin has been put forward as a prime candidate to make the jump to the Senate if longtime incumbent Ben Cardin retires.
“I’m not somebody who has been addicted to a particular kind of journey in public office,” Raskin said, trying to play down the speculation.
