Democratic Congresswoman Resigns Before Her Party Can Expel Her

Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from the House Tuesday.The move came just hours before the House Ethics Committee was supposed to announce sanctions against the Florida congresswoman, who allegedly took $5 million in Covid relief funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and funneled it into her campaign. She also purchased luxury items for herself, including a diamond ring. The committee found her guilty of 25 ethics violations, and she faces 15 federal indictments. In a statement posted on X, Cherfilus-McCormick attacked the committee for refusing her “new attorney’s reasonable request for time to prepare my new defense,” saying the process was unfair. “By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself. I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt. I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished,” the statement said. Cherfilus-McCormick is the third member of Congress to resign in the last week, following fellow Democrat Eric Swalwell for numerous sexual misconduct allegations and Republican Tony Gonzales for explicit text messages sent to two former employees, one with whom he engaged in an affair who later committed suicide. Cherfilus-McCormick had sought a pardon from President Trump, approaching him at a White House Christmas party in December. Republican Representatives Nancy Mace and Greg Steube had each pushed for her expulsion. Mace and Republican Cory Mills also face Ethics Committee investigations, but have resisted calls for them to resign. This story has been updated.