A special House Ethics subcommittee found Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., guilty of 25 ethics charges Friday following a rare public hearing and three-year investigation into allegations she stole millions in federal relief funds and funneled some to her congressional campaign.
The secret vote came after Cherfilus-McCormick and her attorney sat for a nearly seven-hour televised House trial. Lawmakers on the panel deliberated overnight before reaching their decision. The Ethics Committee said it will hold a hearing after the House's two-week spring recess to determine possible sanctions, which could include censure, removal from committees or expulsion.
Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in a separate but related federal criminal case. 'I look forward to proving my innocence,' the congresswoman said in a statement. 'Until then, my focus remains where it belongs: showing up for the great people of Florida’s 20th District who sent me to Washington to fight for them.'
What the Left Is Saying
Several Democrats publicly called on Cherfilus-McCormick to resign or be expelled after Friday's verdict. Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, D-Wash., posted on X: 'You can’t crime your way into legitimate power. Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed.'
Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., did not answer when asked Friday whether Cherfilus-McCormick should remain in the House. The Ethics Committee, which is made up of an equal number of Republicans and Democrats, moved forward with the public hearing because Cherfilus-McCormick decided to fight the allegations rather than resign, and because the ethics case is moving faster than the judicial system.
Some progressive voices noted that the criminal case has not yet been resolved. Cherfilus-McCormick's attorney, William Barzee, argued that the House process was being rushed and could influence her criminal case, which is set to go to trial in April.
What the Right Is Saying
Even before the ethics trial, GOP Rep. Greg Steube, a fellow Floridian, had threatened to force a vote on expelling the congresswoman. The decision sets the stage for potential ouster from Congress.
Republicans pointed to recent precedent: in 2023, the House expelled then-Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., in a bipartisan 311-114 vote, making him the first House member in modern history to be expelled before a federal conviction. Some GOP members have argued that if Santos could be expelled, so too could Cherfilus-McCormick.
The Justice Department indicted Cherfilus-McCormick in November on charges that she stole and laundered $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding. Her family’s health care company, Trinity Healthcare Services, had been working with FEMA through a Covid-19 vaccination contract but received a $5 million overpayment. The DOJ alleged she and her brother never paid it back, routed it through multiple accounts and used it to fund her successful 2022 special election campaign.
What the Numbers Show
The ethics subcommittee determined there was 'substantial reason to believe' that Cherfilus-McCormick violated House rules across 27 counts. The final verdict found her guilty of 25 charges.
The investigative subcommittee 'reviewed over 33,000 documents totaling hundreds of thousands of pages of materials and conducted 28 witness interviews' before making its determination.
According to testimony from the Ethics Committee's senior counsel, Sydney Bellwoar, Cherfilus-McCormick and her siblings 'funneled more than $500,000 originating from Trinity into various outside organizations that made expenditures on behalf of the campaign.' The 'most egregious example' occurred on June 23, 2021, when Trinity transferred $2 million directly to Cherfilus-McCormick, who then moved the money to her campaign the next day.
In the related federal criminal case, Cherfilus-McCormick could face more than 50 years in prison if convicted. Her trial is scheduled for April, though it could be delayed.
The Bottom Line
The House Ethics Committee will hold a hearing after the spring recess to determine what, if any, sanctions to recommend. Possible outcomes range from censure to removal from committee assignments to expulsion from the House.
The outcome will likely depend on how quickly the criminal case proceeds and whether additional Democrats join calls for her resignation or expulsion. The 2023 expulsion of George Santos, which occurred before his criminal conviction, provides a potential roadmap for removing a member before their case is resolved.
Cherfilus-McCormick's attorney has argued the House process should be halted until the criminal case concludes. The Ethics Committee rejected that argument, noting the DOJ had not requested any delay and that the congresswoman had been given ample opportunity to cooperate with their probe.