WASHINGTON – Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida finds herself at a pivotal juncture as the House Ethics Committee deliberates on potential disciplinary actions following their determination that she violated House rules and ethical standards on 25 counts, including breaches of campaign finance laws.
The congresswoman, currently in her third term and seeking reelection in a southeastern Florida district, faces calls from Republican lawmakers for her expulsion. Additionally, she is confronted with federal criminal charges, accused of misappropriating $5 million in coronavirus disaster relief funds to make personal purchases, such as a 3-carat yellow diamond ring.
Cherfilus-McCormick has entered a plea of not guilty to the criminal accusations and maintains her innocence regarding the ethical violations.
The charges against her largely stem from allegations that she benefited from a $5 million overpayment to her family’s healthcare business by Florida’s COVID-19 disaster relief funds. Prosecutors allege she used these funds to finance her 2022 congressional campaign through a network of businesses and family members.
During an earlier Ethics Committee hearing, Cherfilus-McCormick exercised her Fifth Amendment right, opting not to testify. Her attorney, William Barzee, engaged in a heated exchange with committee members, advocating for a comprehensive ethics trial where he could introduce witnesses and evidence to refute the findings of House investigators.
Supporters from Cherfilus-McCormick’s district have appealed to the Ethics Committee leaders, stressing the potential impact on constituents who might be left without representation in Congress at a crucial time for the state. They urged the committee to carefully consider their decision.
“Our communities deserve stability. Our voices deserve to be heard. And our right to representation must be protected,” said one of the letters sent to the committee signed by about a dozen local faith leaders, union officials and others.
In all, the panel’s two-year investigation led to the issuance of 59 subpoenas, 28 witness interviews and a review of more than 33,000 pages of documents.
Rep. Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, has said he will move to expel Cherfilus-McCormick once the Ethics Committee makes a determination on what punishment it will recommend.
That move could in turn prompt Democrats to seek the expulsion of Rep. Cory Mills, a Florida Republican who is the subject of a wide-ranging investigation by the Ethics Committee that includes whether he violated campaign finance laws, misused congressional resources and engaged in sexual misconduct or dating violence. That investigation is ongoing. Mills has denied any wrongdoing.
The focus on lawmaker wrongdoing comes just one week after two lawmakers resigned during ethics investigations into alleged sexual misconduct. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas headed off possible expulsion votes with their resignations.
House Democratic leaders have declined to condemn Cherfilus-McCormick, saying they wanted to see the ethics process play out. Potential punishments include a reprimand or a censure, which serve as forms of public rebuke. The committee could also recommend a fine. The most severe form of punishment is expulsion, but the House has historically been reluctant to serve as the final arbiter of a lawmaker’s career, preferring to give that final say to the voters.
Only six members of the House have been expelled. The first three fought for the Confederacy during the Civil War and were expelled for disloyalty. The next two had been convicted of crimes. The final one was George Santos, the scandal-plagued freshman who was the subject of a blistering ethics report on his conduct as well as federal indictment. Santos, a New York Republican, served time in prison for ripping off his campaign donors before President Donald Trump granted him clemency, and he has apologized to his former constituents.
Under the Constitution, at least two-thirds of the House has to vote for expulsion for it to occur, a high threshold that requires enormous bipartisan support.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told reporters last week he believes the House will move to expel Cherfilus-McCormick.
“The facts are indisputable at this point, and so I believe it’ll be the consensus of this body that she should be expelled,” Johnson said.
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