Democratic US representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said she is resigning effective immediately, after a House committee found she violated ethics rules. The panel was set to issue its recommended punishment for the Florida representative on Tuesday.
Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted by a federal grand jury in November for allegedly funneling more than $5m worth of federal disaster funds from her company into her 2021 congressional campaign.
“The Ethics Committee refused my new attorney’s reasonable request for time to prepare my defense,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement. “By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself.” She also said the process had been a “witch-hunt” and that, instead of playing “political games” she is stepping down to devote time to “fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th district”.
Though she pleaded not guilty to the charges leveled against her, Cherfilus-McCormick, 47, was facing pressure from members of Congress from both parties, who vowed to bring an expulsion vote against the Florida Democrat.
Her resignation comes off the heels of two other lawmakers who left Congress last week. Eric Swalwell, the former Democratic California congressman, stepped down amid allegations of rape and sexual misconduct that came to light during his gubernatorial bid. Meanwhile, Tony Gonzales, the beleaguered Texas Republican congressman, left office after admitting to an extra-marital affair with a former aide who later died by suicide.
Both Swalwell and Gonzales resigned before the House ethics committee could complete their respective investigations into both representatives.
Cherfilus-McCormick stepped down moments before the panel could vote on whether to recommend her expulsion. She has said that it was a “dangerous path” to issue a vote before “due process is complete” and her federal case played out.
Only six House members have been expelled in the history of the chamber, the most recent being former New York congressman George Santos in 2023.
