U.S. Rep. Jamie Raskin, a Maryland Democrat who was prominent in a House committee’s investigation of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, said in a statement Wednesday that he has been diagnosed with 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,” said Raskin, 60, who lives in Montgomery County. “I am about to embark on a course of chemo-immunotherapy on an outpatient basis at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center. Prognosis for most people in my situation is excellent after four months of treatment.”
The third-term Democrat said his cancer was detected early. Though chemotherapy will weaken his immune system, Raskin said he plans to continue working while taking precautions against COVID-19, the flu and other viruses.
“I am advised that it also causes hair loss and weight gain (although I am still holding out hope for the kind that causes hair gain and weight loss),” he said.
Raskin represents much of the Washington, D.C., suburbs located within Montgomery County and lives in Takoma Park.
A popular former state lawmaker, he was among the leaders of the House select committee that investigated the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump who sought to block the results of the 2020 presidential election.
Raskin was the lead impeachment manager when Trump was impeached for the second time by the House at the end of the president’s term. During the impeachment proceedings, he gave an emotional speech mentioning his 25-year-old son, Tommy, who had taken his own life weeks earlier on New Year’s Eve.
He was recently selected as the ranking Democrat on the House Oversight and Reform Committee.for the upcoming congressional session.
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