Anna Paulina Luna says she's 'very confident' votes are there to expel Cherfilus-McCormick
After leading the effort to force the resignation of former Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., one House Republican has her sights set on another target.
"I'm very confident that the votes to expel Sheila [Cherfilus-McCormick] are there," Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital in an interview, referring to Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla, who could face an expulsion vote as early as next week.
It takes a two-thirds majority to expel a member of Congress, and Luna said she has been contacted privately by both Republicans and Democrats who plan to vote to remove the embattled Florida Democrat.
"Democrats have voiced their frustrations with her and have stated that they will vote to expel her as well," Luna said.
House Democratic leadership has not yet weighed in on Cherfilus-McCormick’s fate, but a growing number of the Democratic caucus, from moderates to progressives, have backed her ouster.
The momentum for expulsion comes after a House ethics subcommittee found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of more than two dozen ethics violations in March, including allegations related to stealing millions of disaster relief funds to finance her congressional run. She is also facing a separate federal criminal indictment that could result in more than 53 years in prison if convicted.
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., is expected to introduce a resolution to expel Cherfilus-McCormick after the House Ethics Committee issues its recommended sanction next week.
Still, Cherfilus-McCormick told Fox News Digital on Tuesday that she would not resign despite the threat of removal.
"This is not the time to abandon the district, not when they too are fighting for their future," said Cherfilus-McCormick, who is running for reelection.
Not every lawmaker, however, has been willing to risk the prospect of expulsion, which has only happened a handful of times in U.S. history.
Luna on Tuesday threatened to introduce a motion expelling Swalwell if he did not resign. Swalwell ultimately chose to quit on his own terms rather than face a rare chamber-wide expulsion vote.
"I was ready to make that expulsion. I had it ready to go," Luna said. "And then his office contacted my office and let me know that his resignation would be coming in a few minutes before the deadline was for the expulsion [motion]."
Five women, including one former staffer, have so far accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct and rape. The California Democrat has denied any criminal wrongdoing and his attorney has vowed to vigorously contest the allegations.
ERIC SWALWELL WAS CABLE NEWS STAR FOR YEARS BEFORE RAPID FALL FROM GRACE
Members of Congress have traditionally been reluctant to pursue expulsion against colleagues who have not been criminally charged or found by the House Ethics Committee to have committed misconduct, but Luna argued that the serious allegations against Swalwell required a more aggressive approach.
"His resignation, obviously, was something that had to be done," Luna said. "It was non-negotiable."
Luna also sharply criticized an atmosphere on Capitol Hill that she argued turned a blind eye to Swalwell’s alleged misconduct.
"From what we were hearing on the Hill, this was behavior that was known about for a while. But no one came forward to officially report it," Luna said, calling the silence "disturbing."
Luna predicted that additional sexual misconduct allegations would be made against Swalwell and said she turned over unreported information about Swalwell’s conduct to the FBI.
She also supported the expulsion of former Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, who resigned from the House on Tuesday to fend off a looming removal vote.
"I guess I took it on myself to act specifically in these cases because I got really frustrated. I’m up here to serve my constituents," Luna said. "There’s a lot of people that are up here to do good on behalf of their districts, to actually make real change."
"And when you are associated with and you accept people's behavior that is unethical and immoral and illegal, it's a poor reflection, not just on the institution, but it also taints the waters for everyone that serves with these people," she continued.