What Happened to Jamie Raskin’s Eye as Swelling Sparks Questions After White House Dinner

Following the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, Jamie Raskin spoke with WUSA9 for an interview. The clip later circulated on Instagram, and viewers quickly pointed out that one of Rep. Raskin's eyes appeared swollen.

Raskin represents Maryland’s 8th Congressional District in the U.S. House and began his fifth term in January 2025. He serves as the ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee after previously leading Democrats on the Oversight Committee. Before Congress, he taught constitutional law at American University for more than 25 years and served three terms in the Maryland State Senate.

Now, attention has shifted to his appearance, with people wondering whether his eye was recently injured.

According to his rep, Rep. Raskin sustained a minor eye injury on Wednesday, April 15 — 10 days prior to the White House Correspondents Dinner.

The next day, he publicly addressed this injury while speaking at a subcommittee hearing on Capitol Hill.

"Please forgive my black and bloody eye. I am nursing a medical injury, but I did not want to miss this important hearing," he shared.

Previously, Rep. Raskin has publicly discussed his past cancer battle.

In December 2022, doctors diagnosed him with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

In April 2023, he announced that he had completed chemo-immunotherapy at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital and Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

In an open letter, he said a midterm PET scan came back “negative” for any discernible cancer cells.

“I have many things that I want to say to the people across America who have stood by me and helped carry me through this prolonged challenge, and I will come to say them soon,” he wrote. “Right now my hemoglobin and white blood cell counts are plunging from my final five-day round of chemotherapy, and I am afraid I lack the energy to properly thank you all and express the enormity of my feelings about the enduring beauty and promise of our country.”

Many people recognize Rep. Raskin from the aftermath of the Jan. 6 attack on the United States Capitol. After the attack, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi selected him as the lead impeachment manager in Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial.

He later served on the bipartisan House select committee investigating Jan. 6.

During Rep. Raskin's Face the Nation interview on April 26, host Margaret Brennan asked him directly about being in the ballroom the night before.

Jamie answered, “Yes, indeed.” He said he had just entered the room and was speaking with reporters from The Boston Globe, whose table was near the perimeter. Then, according to Jamie, “There were three loud booms,” followed by screams and the sound of plates, glasses, and silverware hitting the ground.

“Somebody kind of pushed me from the back, and we all ended up on the floor,” Jamie said. “When it was over, Kerry [Kennedy], who, of course, lost her father to an assassin gunman and her uncle, President Kennedy, she said, I can't believe that school children are dealing with this all across America and don't have the resources to process their trauma.”

The politician went on to suggest that the country needs a serious bipartisan conversation about public safety for everyone, not just powerful people with heavy security.