Could Miramar’s Cherfilus-McCormick be expelled from Congress? Hearing now set
The House Ethics Committee announced Friday it will hold a public hearing this month to decide the political fate of Miramar U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
Her punishment could range from a reprimand to expulsion from Congress.
In March, the same committee found Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 violations of House rules and ethics standards tied to money from her family’s Miramar-based health care company and her 2022 election campaign.
The committee announced on April 10 that it will reconvene on April 21 to recommend punishment, shifting the process from fact-finding to discipline.
Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat, has pleaded not guilty and claims this is all about politics.
Her legal troubles began in November when a federal grand jury in Miami returned an indictment charging Cherfilus-McCormick and several co-defendants with misappropriating a $5 million overpayment of FEMA COVID-19 disaster funds, laundering the money and using it to help finance her 2022 congressional campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick is up for reelection in November. Several candidates are planning to challenge her, including Luther Campbell, frontman of the 1980s rap group 2 Live Crew.
Florida’s 20th Congressional District runs through portions of Broward and Palm Beach counties.
FULL STORY: Miramar congresswoman guilty of 25 violations, ethics panel says. What happens now?
Here are key takeaways:
- The findings: In March, the ethics panel concluded that Cherfilus-McCormick violated 25 House rules after a three-year investigation into millions of dollars that flowed through her family’s company, Trinity Healthcare Services, to her and relatives and then into her political campaign.
- The money trail: The investigation centers on roughly $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds erroneously given to the family-owned Trinity, where Cherfilus-McCormick worked as an $86,000-a-year CEO. Investigators allege the money was never repaid and helped bankroll her 2022 special election campaign.
- What’s next: On April 21, lawmakers could recommend penalties ranging from censure to removal from committees to expulsion from Congress. Expulsion would require a two-thirds vote of the full House.
- Criminal charges: In November, federal prosecutors indicted Cherfilus-McCormick and three others. She has pleaded not guilty, and her trial is scheduled for April.
- Political fallout: Republican Rep. Greg Steube has threatened to force an expulsion vote, and some Democrats have called on her to step down. House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries has declined to say whether she should remain in Congress.
- Cherfilus-McCormick’s response: “I look forward to proving my innocence,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement.
The summary points above were compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists. The full story in the link at top was reported, written and edited entirely by journalists.
