Will she stay or will she go? Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has been under scrutiny of late for a boatload of ethics violations concerning campaign funding. Early today, the House Ethics committee determined she was guilty.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick illicitly funneled millions of dollars to her campaign and committed various campaign finance infractions, a bipartisan House Ethics subcommittee determined Friday — likely laying the groundwork for a vote by the full legislative body to expel the embattled Florida Democrat.
The panel’s adjudicatory subcommittee, led by House Ethics Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.), deliberated well past midnight following an hours-long hearing that served as the panel’s first public “trial” in nearly 16 years. It found “clear and convincing” evidence that Cherfilus-McCormick was guilty of all but two of the 27 counts that had been brought against her.
Yes, we are talking about millions of dollars here. Furthermore, it isn’t just campaign funds ethics violations. It’s that Cherfilus-McCormick is ALSO under indictment by the DOJ for taking FEMA funds and using them for her campaign and personal use.
To hear her tell it, she will have to be dragged kicking and screaming out the door.
“I look forward to proving my innocence,” Cherfilus-McCormick 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.”
The three-term lawmaker, who is also facing related criminal charges in her home state, did not vote Friday morning on the House floor.
A few weeks back, several prominent Democrats were standing staunchly by her side.
Hakeem Jeffries doubles down and says he will not vote to expel Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick who was indicted for defrauding FEMA of $5 million.
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) February 2, 2026
JEFFRIES: "I'm a hard no." pic.twitter.com/KPs3zbu7RQ
But now, in light of new details, her indictment, and what transpired in the Ethics hearing, quite a number of Democrats are changing their tune.
Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) said in a post on X that Cherfilus-McCormick “should resign or be removed,” later telling Axios she would vote to expel her.
Rep. Scott Peters (D-Calif.) told Axios her resignation would “be easier for everyone” and, asked if he would vote to expel her, said, “if someone’s misbehaved in the way she’s said to have misbehaved, I think every member of Congress, regardless of party, has to respond to that, and I think we will.”
Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) told Axios “she should resign,” but that Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) “must be pushed by Republicans to resign, too” after admitting to an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide.
Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) also told Axios Cherfilus-McCormick should resign and that she would vote for expulsion, but that she also wants “us to address [Gonzales] at the same time.”
Rep. Jimmy Gomez (D-Calif.) told Axios: “She has to consider her constituents and the House Democratic caucus, so I think she should probably step aside .”
Cherfilus-McCormick absolutely should resign. As for the Democrats calling for Gonzales to resign, he should as well.
That said, it took an Ethics hearing where quite a bit of information/evidence was produced for the Democrats to decide to acknowledge that stealing $5 million in FEMA funds to buy a honking big diamond ring and fund your campaign is legally AND ethically very bad for a member of Congress.
2/ Cherfilus-McCormick is under federal criminal indictment for allegedly stealing $5 million in Covid-19 relief funds & using the money to help win her 2022 special election (among other things.)
— John Bresnahan (@bresreports) March 27, 2026
Her trial is supposed to begin next month in Miami, but is likely to be delayed
As others are asking, why is expulsion a “possibility?” Why not have it be automatic?
What’s also amazing about this is that her attorney has only been involved in her case for just over two weeks. I guess it was quite the sh** show during the hearing as he just scrambled on multiple levels.
He also claimed that the public nature of this hearing violates her right to a fair trial in Florida. Last I checked, finding one guilty of ethics fraud is not the same as a criminal indictment for money laundering.
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is guilty of ethics violations and is facing expulsion from the House. The only question is, will she go or will she have to be booted out?
Feature Photo Credit: Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida, official Congressional portrait, cropped, public domain
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