Ethics committee was weighing expulsion recommendation for Florida Democrat over alleged stolen FEMA funds
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D., Fla.) resigned from Congress on Tuesday ahead of a House Ethics Committee meeting on whether to recommend expelling the congresswoman over her alleged use of stolen FEMA funds to win her seat.
Her resignation stems from an alleged scheme that centered on her family-owned health care company’s receipt of $5 million from a FEMA-funded COVID-19 contract in 2021 for work it had not performed. Instead of returning the funds, Cherfilus-McCormick and members of her family allegedly laundered the funds into her ostensibly self-funded political campaign for an election she won by just five votes, with leftover funds used for purchases including the three-carat yellow diamond ring Cherfilus-McCormick once featured in her congressional portrait. An ethics adjudicatory subcommittee in late March found the Florida Democrat had committed 25 rule violations as part of the scheme.
Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted in November for her role in the alleged money laundering scheme and faces up to 53 years in prison if found guilty. She pleaded not guilty to criminal charges, which she’s slammed as “unjust” and “baseless.”
Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation comes at a turbulent time for the House, which saw former Reps. Eric Swalwell (D., Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R., Texas) resign their seats last week amid their own sexual misconduct scandals.
Lawmakers facing the threat of expulsion from the House typically resign before such a vote is held, but Cherfilus-McCormick initially vowed to fight to the end.
“For those asking whether I plan to resign, the answer is no,” Cherfilus-McCormick recently told Fox News. “This is not the time to abandon the district, not when they too are fighting for their future.”
It requires a two-thirds majority to expel a member of the House. Several of Cherfilus-McCormick’s Democratic colleagues had vowed to vote in favor of her expulsion.
“You can’t crime your way into legitimate power,” said Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D., Wa.) after the ethics subcommittee issued its ruling in late March. “Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed.”
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