Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from Congress, hours before facing sanctions, potential explusion
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She faces a federal trial in Miami over allegations she and her brother stole $5 million in FEMA funds designated for their family health care company and to fund her 2021 congressional campaign.
Embattled Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) is stepping down from Congress.
The news comes less than a month after she was found guilty by the House Ethics Committee of dozens of violations related to her 2021 campaign. She was set to receive sanctions from the committee for funneling $5 million in FEMA funds into her initial congressional campaign.
A federal grand jury indicted McCormick on multiple felony counts last November on charges related to the misuse of FEMA funds.
Per Rep. Greg Steube, McCorkmick was likely facing expulsion from Congress due to the ethics violations, and he told NOTUS that he planned to file an expulsion resolution “as soon as ethics is done with their hearing.”
“She stole $5 million; she’s been indicted with 15 felonies. If she was found guilty of 25 different ethics violations, I think it’s incumbent on the House to expel her from the body,” Steube said. “I’m shocked that she hasn’t retired.”
Her retirement from Congress is the third in April alone, following Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) and Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-TX), who both stepped aside due to sexual misconduct allegations. McCormick had planned to fight the allegations against her before deciding to step down.
She read her resignation letter on the House floor, calling the proceedings against her a “witch hunt.”
When news of her alleged crimes reached the House, a bipartisan effort rose, calling for her to leave Congress.
“You can’t crime your way into legitimate power,” Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-WA), wrote in a statement on X. “Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed.”
McCormick was seeking her fourth term in Congress at the time of her resignation. She faces a federal jury trial in Miami over allegations she and her brother, Edwin McCormick, used FEMA funds designated for their family health care company’s COVID-19 vaccination staffing contract to fund her 2021 congressional campaign and for their personal benefit.