Cherfilus-McCormick resigns amid ethics investigation

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has officially resigned in the face of corruption charges at home and calls for her ouster in Washington.

News broke minutes before the House Ethics Committee was about to meet for a public hearing Tuesday afternoon to determine a punishment for the third-term Democrat, who was charged with stealing $5 million in Covid relief funds.

In a statement, Cherfilus-McCormick said the congressional proceedings did not constitute a “fair process” and that she was “choos[ing] to step aside” rather than “play these political games.”

“I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt,” she said. “I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished.”

Cherfilus-McCormick is facing a federal criminal trial in Florida over allegations that she stole millions from FEMA. She has pleaded not guilty and that case is expected to go to trial next year.

Her lawyer recently argued before a House Ethics subcommittee that pursuing her case at this juncture would jeopardize the fairness of her criminal trial. Lawmakers disagreed, ultimately finding “clear and convincing evidence” of dozens of charges related to improprieties.

On Tuesday, the adjudicatory subcommittee was poised to consider whether to recommend her expulsion from Congress — the most serious punishment the Ethics Committee can suggest. Only six members have ever been expelled, including, most recently, former Rep. George Santos, the New York Republican ultimately convicted of wire fraud and aggravated identity theft. President Donald Trump later commuted his sentence.

Ethics Committee members were beginning to arrive for the scheduled 2 p.m. hearing when news of Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation began to spread. Rep. Glenn Ivey (D-Md.), a member of the adjudicatory subcommittee that was considering her case, seemed to be caught off-guard by the developments.

The panel opted to gavel in as planned, and House Ethics Chair Michael Guest (R-Miss.) read Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation letter into the record. He announced that since Cherfilus-McCormick was no longer a member of Congress, the panel would no longer have jurisdiction over the case and would not deliberate over a punishment.

Guest also defended his panel’s handling of the matter, which spanned years since the Office of Congressional Conduct delivered a referral to the Ethics Committee in 2023.

“This was not a rush to judgement as some claim,” he said.

Cherfilus-McCormick alerted at least one colleague of her plans to resign ahead of her official announcement, and she was seen speaking with members of the Congressional Black Caucus on the floor Monday night. According to three people granted anonymity to share private conversations, the CBC gathered to discuss their colleague's options, including to resign before the Ethics Committee's scheduled meeting. Several of them urged her to take this route.

Ahead of her resignation, CBC Chair Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) advised Cherfilus-McCormick to “focus on her wellbeing.”

“This is a heavy heavy situation to find yourself in. She has a criminal court proceeding that she needs to focus on," said Clarke. "She has a family she needs to focus on. This institution is great and I know she loved her job here but her wellbeing is most important.”

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), who is also a member of the CBC, told reporters that Cherfilus-McCormick “did the right thing for her constituents. I think Americans should be entitled to the presumption of innocence and their day in court.

"House Democratic leadership will work with her staff to ensure that the needs of the people in her congressional district are met during this transition," he continued.

Mia McCarthy and Riley Rogerson contributed to this report.