WASHINGTON — Democratic Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from office this Tuesday, the third resignation in the House of Representatives in less than two weeks, amid an investigation for allegedly diverting five million dollars intended to respond to natural disasters.
Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat of Haitian descent representing a South Florida district, resigned amid inquiries from the Congressional Ethics Committee that she allegedly stole public emergency money in 2021 to use them in his election campaign and buy a ring.
The legislator maintained that “it was not a fair process” because the committee rejected a request from her lawyer to prepare her defense, in addition to considering that it is “a witch hunt.”
“Instead of playing these political games, I decide to step aside so that I can dedicate my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th district. Therefore, I am resigning from Congress, effective immediately,” he said in a statement on his social networks.
A subcommittee of the Ethics Commission had found Cherfilus-McCormick responsible for 25 violations related to campaign financing and related conduct.
Two other scandals
The congresswoman’s resignation comes after the resignation, just last week, of two other representatives, Eric Swalwell, Democrat of California, and Tony Gonzales, Republican of Texas, accused of sexual abuse.
It also intensifies calls by Democrats to oust Cory Mills, a Republican congressman from Florida, who is under investigation for allegations including sexual misconduct, violations of campaign finance rules and misuse of his office, all of which he denies.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) charged Cherfilus-McCormick in November with stealing public funds through a family health care business. with a contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA, in English), for which he also faces criminal proceedings in a federal court in Miami.
The company, which participated in COVID-19 vaccination programs, allegedly received an overpayment of $5 million in FEMA funds in July 2021 and the legislator and her brother “conspired to steal” that amount, which they channeled through multiple accounts to hide its origin, according to the DOJ.
Prosecutors also allege that the congresswoman used more than $100,000 of these dollars to purchase a diamond ring and that the defendants funneled other funds to “friends and family who then donated to the campaign as if they were using their own money.”
The Congressional African American Caucus thanked the legislator for her service, noting that she “made history as the first Haitian-American elected” to the House of Representatives, thereby “bringing visibility to the experiences” of that community and the “broader Caribbean diaspora.”
“It’s not a good message”
The surge of cases has rattled a divided House, where pressure has increased on leaders of both parties to enforce ethics standards, even as political calculations complicate disciplinary action.
Rep. Suhas Subramanyam, D-Virginia, a member of the Ethics Committee, said the wave of scandals and series of resignations is “not a good message” to send to the American people.
“I think, in the end, Congress loses the trust of the American people every time something like this happens,” he told reporters.
