Rep. Jamie Raskin, a leading member of the January 6 committee and former manager of Trump’s impeachment, announced Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with cancer.
“After several days of testing, I was diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, which is a serious but curable form of cancer,” said Raskin, D-Md., in a declarationadding that he will undergo “a course of chemoimmunotherapy on an outpatient basis.”
Raskin, 60, was chosen last week by his fellow Democrats to be the rank member in the Oversight and Reform Committee when the new Congress is sworn in next week.
“I hope to be able to work during this period, but my doctors have warned me to reduce unnecessary exposure to avoid COVID-19, flu and other viruses,” Raskin said. “The prognosis for most people in my situation is excellent after four months of treatment.”
Several colleagues offered their support when Raskin began treatment.
Representative Ritchie Torres, DN.Y., On twitter called Raskin “a national treasure, an oasis of legal integrity and intellect at a time when both are desperately needed in defense of democracy,” adding: “I pray for his strong and speedy recovery as he undergoes treatment against cancer. America needs you, Jamie.”
The diagnosis comes nearly two years after the suicide death of Raskin’s son, 25-year-old Thomas “Tommy” Bloom Raskin. An obituary posted online by Raskin and his wife said their son had a “perfect heart, a perfect soul, a wildly outrageous and unrelenting sense of humor” but was “tortured” by a “stunningly painful and merciless disease called depression.” “. .'”
Raskin, a former constitutional law professor who represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in suburban Washington, was impeachment manager in the second impeachment trial against former President Donald Trump. He was elected to a fourth term in November, winning 80% of the vote.
