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