Rep. Cummings hospitalized with knee infection

Jan. 5 (UPI) -- U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., underwent what his office described as a "minor procedure" Friday for a bacterial infection in his knee.

Cummings, the top Democrat on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, has been hospitalized since Dec. 29, The Baltimore Sun reported. It's unclear how long he'll remain hospitalized.

"Congressman Cummings was admitted to Johns Hopkins Hospital for a bacterial infection in his knee," a statement from Cummings' office said. "Doctors drained the infection in a minor procedure today. He is resting comfortably and expects a full recovery."

The congressman dealt with poor health last year, spending nearly three months off the job after having heart surgery.

"I've often said, don't ask the question, 'Why did it happen to me?' but, 'Why did it happen for me'? " Cummings told staffers when he returned to Congress in September, according to The Washington Post. "I am thoroughly convinced, and you will never convince me otherwise, that what I have gone through was for a purpose."

Cummings' procedure comes on the same day his wife, Maya Rockeymoore Cummings, halted her campaign to become governor of Maryland. She was one of eight Democratic candidates for the position.

Rockeymoore Cummings didn't say why she was dropping out.

"I thank all of the people across the country who have supported my campaign and those whom I have met on the campaign trail who also fervently believe that we can and must do better for the people of Maryland," she said in a statement.