Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Resigns From Congress Before House Ethics Committee Expulsion Vote

Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress on Tuesday moments before the House Ethics Committee was set to consider whether to recommend she be expelled, according to NBC News and CBS News.

NBC News reported that the Ethics panel had found her guilty of 25 ethics violations related to allegations she stole federal relief funds and used some of the money to fund her political campaign, and that her criminal trial is expected to begin in February 2027.

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CBS News said she had been charged with stealing nearly $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds for her campaign and pleaded not guilty, and it described her resignation as coming “moments before the House Ethics Committee was set to determine whether she should be sanctioned.”

In her statement posted on X, Cherfilus-McCormick said, “I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt.”

She added, “Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida's 20th district,” and said, “I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately.”

NBC News also reported that the House Ethics Committee chairman, Chairman Michael Guest, said the panel had “now lost jurisdiction on this matter” after her resignation.

The BBC similarly reported that she resigned minutes before the House ethics committee was to convene and make a recommendation on punishment for the 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, and that the committee read her resignation letter and adjourned.

The resignation followed a House Ethics Committee process that multiple outlets described as spanning years and culminating in findings of violations tied to campaign finance and federal disaster funds.

NBC News said the Ethics panel found her guilty of 25 ethics violations related to allegations she stole federal relief funds and used some of the money to fund her political campaign, and it described her criminal trial as expected to begin in February 2027.

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The BBC reported that the investigation found she committed more than 20 ethics violations, including breaking campaign finance laws, and it said she is accused of illegally funneling US disaster aid to her election campaign and spending the money on luxury purchases, including a $109,000 (£81,660) 3-carat yellow diamond ring.

CBS News said the Ethics Committee released a report in January and that investigators found “substantial evidence of conduct consistent with the allegations in the indictment, as well as more extensive misconduct.”

CBS News also described the report as laying out “a pattern of inaccurate and incomplete campaign finance reports across several election cycles,” including improper contributions falsely reported as personal loans and inflated cash-on-hand numbers.

The BBC added that Cherfilus-McCormick faces federal charges for allegedly stealing the $5m (£3.8m) in Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) disaster funds, and it said she and another person named in the federal charging documents allegedly diverted funds from a Fema contract to friends and relatives.

NBC News reported that the Justice Department indicted her in November on charges that she stole and laundered millions in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding, and it said her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, received a $5 million overpayment.

Cherfilus-McCormick framed her resignation as a response to what she described as unfair timing and limits on her ability to defend herself while a criminal case was pending.

NBC News reported that she complained that it was a “dangerous path” for the Ethics panel to weigh her expulsion before her day in court, and it said she has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty.

In her statement posted on X, Cherfilus-McCormick said, “I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished,” and she argued that the Ethics process was “a witch hunt.”

NBC News also said her attorney, William Barzee, told the Ethics panel it should not have moved forward with a public hearing or verdict, arguing it would influence her criminal case and violate her right to due process.

CBS News quoted Barzee arguing, “How can she possibly go into court and have a fair trial if her jurors have already heard that she was found guilty by the House of Representatives? It's an impossibility,” and it added that Barzee told reporters she was “left with no choice.”

The BBC reported that in her statement Cherfilus-McCormick said the panel did not allow her lawyer to adequately prepare her defence and launched the investigation while she was fighting a criminal case, which ultimately “prevented me from defending myself.”

In contrast, NBC News described Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest defending the committee’s work and saying, “I will tell you that the committee has worked diligently to investigate this matter, that this was not a rush to judgment.”

The resignation also came as House leadership and other lawmakers weighed how to respond to the Ethics findings and the prospect of expulsion.

NBC News reported that the decision marked the third resignation in the past week, following the resignations of Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales ahead of potential votes to expel them over allegations of sexual misconduct.

CBS News

CBS News said her decision to step down would likely have led to expulsion in the coming days if she had not resigned, and it described the expulsion threshold as requiring a two-thirds vote.

CBS News also said House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries told reporters, “She did the right thing for the people that she has previously represented, and as she moves forward, she's entitled to the presumption of innocence and her day in court,” and it reported that Jeffries declined to say whether he encouraged her to resign, telling reporters that “private conversations will remain private.”

BBC reported that before her resignation, House Democratic leaders had refrained from publicly criticising her, saying they would wait to see the ethics committee's recommendation, and it quoted Jeffries saying, “She did the right thing on behalf of her constituents.”

CBS News quoted House Speaker Mike Johnson, saying, “I think she was on the path to be expelled from the body,” and it added, “I think she assessed that and realized the votes were there. So that was the right result.”

PBS NewsHour’s transcript described a separate effort to expel another House member, Cory Mills, and it said Nancy Mace had introduced a bill to expel him while Lauren Boebert said she would consider expulsion perhaps.