Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick resigns amid ethics investigation

Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., tendered her immediate resignation on Tuesday as her peers in the House prepared to chasten her for ethics violations. McCormick has continued to deny any wrongdoing, and on Tuesday said the House Ethics Committee’s process had not been fair. She publicly resigned the same day the committee was scheduled to formally discipline her in relation to alleged misuse of campaign funds.

What kinds of violations? Last month, the House Ethics Committee found her guilty of 25 violations that included breaches of campaign finance laws and allegedly stealing millions in disaster funds, according to a charge list released by the committee.

Cherfilus-McCormick separately faces criminal charges. In November, a federal grand jury indicted her over allegations that she and several accomplices stole $5 million in FEMA-funded COVID relief payments. Some of the payments were allegedly misappropriated to her campaign, according to a statement from the Department of Justice.

What did Cherfilus-McCormick have to say? The congresswoman has consistently denied all of the allegations against her. In her Tuesday statement, she characterized the House Ethics Committee’s investigation into her activities as a witch hunt and accused the committee of refusing to give her and her attorneys time to mount a suitable defense. She went on to insist that her due process rights were being violated and warned that all Americans should be concerned, regardless of their political party.

What about the House Ethics Committee? In a Tuesday afternoon hearing that lasted mere minutes, the committee met briefly as scheduled. Cherfilus-McCormick was not present. Instead of formally disciplining her, Committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., read a letter of resignation that Cherfilus-McCormick sent to House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La. As a result of her resignation, Guest said the committee no longer had jurisdiction to discipline her. The committee’s disciplinary actions can range from private letters of admonition to public expulsion.

Guest insisted that the congresswoman had been given ample time to present evidence and address the committee. He said the investigation had been a very deliberate process, not a rush to judgment. Both he and Committee Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif, thanked members of the committee for their more than two years of investigation before adjourning the hearing.

Dig deeper: Read Elizabeth Black’s previous report about the investigation.