U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress on Tuesday afternoon, preempting a House Ethics Committee hearing that was set to determine sanctions for more than two dozen counts of misconduct. The resignation, effective at 1:30 p.m., came as the first-term Democrat from South Florida faced a sprawling two-year investigation and separate federal criminal charges.
In a public statement posted to social media, Cherfilus-McCormick described the ethics probe as a “witch hunt” and criticized the committee for moving forward before the conclusion of her criminal trial. She has pleaded not guilty to federal charges that accuse her of stealing millions in COVID-19 relief funds.
“After careful reflection and prayer, I have concluded that it is in the best interest of my constituents and the institution that I step aside at this time,” she wrote in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson announcing her immediate departure.
A ‘witch hunt,’ representative says
The House Ethics Committee last month detailed 25 counts of misconduct it said were “proven by clear and convincing evidence.” The allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick painted a picture of widespread financial impropriety, including accepting improper campaign donations, money laundering, and mixing personal and campaign finances.
I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name be tarnished.
The investigation was extensive. Ethics Committee Chairman Rep. Michael Guest, a Republican, stated that the committee issued 59 subpoenas, analyzed 33,000 pages of documents, and conducted 28 witness interviews. “This was not a rush to judgment as some would claim,” Guest said Tuesday.
Pressure had been mounting for months from Republicans calling for her to step down. More recently, a growing number of her Democratic colleagues had indicated they would support her expulsion if the committee recommended it. Before her resignation, reports from her staff suggested she intended to campaign for re-election even if expelled by the House, a rare but not unprecedented move. Her federal criminal trial, which addresses similar allegations of financial crimes, was recently postponed until February 2027. In sports news, Southeastern Baptist swept Arkansas Baptist in a baseball doubleheader.
Sweeping misconduct charges
The charges from the ethics committee covered a wide range of activities connected to her 2021 special election, her 2022 reelection campaign, and her time in office. Her 2021 primary victory was remarkably narrow, won by a margin of just five votes.
The committee accused her of orchestrating a straw-donor and money-laundering scheme during that campaign. The plan allegedly funneled a $5 million overpayment in federal COVID relief funds received by her family’s healthcare company into her campaign coffers. Once in office, the committee alleged she used her position to provide “special favors” to political allies regarding Congressional funding requests.
During her 2022 campaign, the committee found she funneled illegal corporate contributions from an oil company to her campaign and failed to properly disclose them. Numerous other charges related to reporting errors and a failure to comply with federal campaign finance laws. The Department of Justice brought separate federal charges against her last fall, leading House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries to strip her of a subcommittee leadership post, in accordance with House rules. However, Jeffries had stopped short of calling for her resignation, stating he would await the outcome of the ethics process.
Throughout her four years in office, Cherfilus-McCormick was a vocal advocate for her constituents. As the first Haitian-American Democrat from Florida to serve in Congress, she co-chaired the Haiti Caucus and championed the cause of Haitian immigrants, particularly pushing back against the Trump administration’s termination of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for people from Haiti.
Special election now likely
In the hours before her resignation, Cherfilus-McCormick submitted letters to the Ethics Committee from community groups in South Florida. The letters argued that her district should not be left without representation, especially with a potential redrawing of district lines on the horizon. Governor Ron DeSantis has floated a special legislative session to address redistricting in light of a pending Supreme Court case that could affect how minority-majority districts are drawn.
“To remove its representation during this process would leave hundreds of thousands of constituents without advocacy at a critical moment,” the Palm Beach County Democratic Black Caucus wrote. However, Florida’s 20th Congressional District, which includes parts of Broward and Palm Beach counties, is a heavily Democratic area and is considered highly unlikely to become a competitive seat for Republicans.
A competitive Democratic primary for the seat is already underway. Progressive candidate Elijah Manley, 27, has outraised his opponents, bringing in about $780,000 by the end of March. Cherfilus-McCormick had raised $356,000, while Dale Holness, whom she narrowly defeated in 2021, raised $306,000. Former rapper and community activist Luther Campbell is also in the race. In the wake of the resignation, Manley called on Gov. DeSantis to schedule a special election rather than waiting for the November general election.
Responding to the day’s events, Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried acknowledged the need for accountability. “Corruption has no place in Congress,” she said in a statement. Fried then called for the resignation of Republican Rep. Cory Mills, who is the subject of a separate, ongoing House ethics investigation into campaign finance issues.
