Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is seen during a session of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026, in Washington, DC.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat from Florida, stepped down from her congressional position on Tuesday afternoon, right before she was scheduled to participate in a hearing regarding sanctions by the House Ethics Committee.
The committee was prepared to conduct an uncommon public session to ascertain what punishment would be suitable to advise the entire House to impose on Cherfilus-McCormick.
The previous month, Cherfilus-McCormick was determined to be in violation of 25 House ethics rules, encompassing the reception of inappropriate campaign funds and mixing of campaign and individual finances. In November 2025, a federal grand jury indicted the congresswoman on accusations of misappropriating $5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which she allegedly used to launder in support of her triumphant 2021 congressional bid.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill on March 26, 2026 in Washington, DC.Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Cherfilus-McCormick has refuted any misconduct, attributing the claims to an accounting oversight.
In her declaration of resignation, the congresswoman labeled the proceedings a "witch hunt."
"By moving forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself," she stated. "I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished."
Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest recited the congresswoman’s departure letter after the committee briefly convened, noting that the committee no longer had authority over Cherfilus-McCormick due to her resignation.
"I will tell you that the committee has worked diligently to investigate this matter, that this was not a rush to judgment, as some would claim, that this was a very deliberate process to gather information into allegations that were extremely serious and extremely complicated," Guest mentioned.
Ranking Democrat Mark DeSaulnier informed the committee, "Nobody’s happy. I don’t think any of us are happy at what we’ve gone through, but I am extremely proud of being associated with all of you."
She is the third member of the House to leave office in a week, following Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales from Texas and Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell, who faced accusations of sexual misbehavior and were about to confront attempts by their colleagues to have them ousted.
Removing a member from the House is an infrequent event. A two-thirds majority is needed to dismiss a member.
Only six House members in U.S. history have been kicked out from the lower legislative body. Former New York Republican Rep. George Santos was the most recent legislator ejected from the House in 2023.
The committee possessed the power to advise a spectrum of punishments, including removal, condemnation, rebuke, monetary penalty — and even the rejection or restriction of any entitlement, as per House regulations. The House can discipline its members and has the authority to expel its members with a two-thirds vote, according to Article 1, Section 5 of the Constitution.
The recommendation for sanction against Cherfilus-McCormick was anticipated to be publicized in written form after the hearing. Subsequently, the panel was scheduled to convene in a closed session to finalize its deliberations and reach a verdict.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., March 26, 2026.Nathan Howard/Reuters
Before Cherfilus-McCormick announced her departure, Florida Republican Rep. Greg Steube conveyed his intention to initiate a vote to endeavor to oust the congresswoman after the sanction hearing. Steube was predicted to designate the expulsion resolution as privileged, obligating Speaker Mike Johnson to arrange a vote on the subject within a couple of legislative days.
The speaker indicated the previous week that dismissing Cherfilus-McCormick in relation to her purported offenses would be deemed "appropriate."
Despite initially asserting that Democrats would not aid Republicans in expelling Cherfilus-McCormick, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries disclosed on Monday that Democrats would assemble a caucus meeting to resolve how they would manage the bipartisan Ethics panel’s advisements.
Following her resignation, Steube urged the Department of Justice to incarcerate Cherfilus-McCormick.
"This is a victory for our institution and the great state of Florida," Steube posted on X. "Thank you to everyone who stayed involved and kept the pressure on. Now it’s on the DOJ to put her in prison."
Sourse: abcnews.go.com