Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has resigned from Congress, moments before the House Ethics Committee was set to recommend expulsion.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s official statement,
“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. Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th district. I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately.”
She then complained about the timing of the House Ethics Committee considering her expulsion because of her pending criminal trial:
“By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself… That is a dangerous path, and one that should concern every American, regardless of party.”
The bi-partisan House Ethics committee already found that she committed 25 ethics violations related to her allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA relief funds. The Democrat out of Florida was federally indicted in November of last year.
The state accidentally overpaid her company by about $5 million, instead of returning the overpayment, prosecutors and the Ethics Committee say she and co-conspirators (including her brother Edwin Cherfilus) stole the money then laundered it by routing it through multiple bank accounts.
She allegedly used the money on her campaign, her family and a luxury lifestyle including buying items like a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring ($109,000 from Tiffany’s), a Tesla, designer clothing, high-end hotels, a cruise, and other items.
