Democratic Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is guilty of violating over two dozen House rules after allegedly embezzling millions of dollars in COVID-19 emergency funds and funneling them into her campaign, a House Ethics panel determined Friday.
The bipartisan committee found the congresswoman to be guilty of all but two of the 27 counts that they brought against her and made their ruling after a rare public hearing that lasted seven hours Thursday. The panel said it will hold another hearing following Easter recess to determine if it recommends any sanction against her.
The committee found the Florida Democrat used her family’s businesses to channel $5 million in emergency COVID-19 funds into her 2021 special election campaign to replace the late former Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings.
The panel also found her guilty of accepting and failing to properly document illegal in-kind campaign contributions from an organization with ties to her former campaign manager who oversaw her 2021 and 2022 campaigns.
Following the proceeding Thursday, in which Cherfilus-McCormick did not speak publicly, Republican Florida Rep. Greg Stuebe called to expel the Congresswoman, writing, “the American people deserve better than corruption in Congress.”
“Money laundering. False statements. Illegal campaign contributions. Hiding financial disclosures. And Democrats still defend this?” Stuebe said in a social media post Thursday night. “This is disgraceful. The American people deserve better than corruption in Congress. I’m ready to expel Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick!”
The lawmaker was also indicted by the Department of Justice in November and faces up to 53 years in prison if found guilty on her 15 federal charges. Her trial will likely begin next month and stretch into the summer.
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