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I don’t know how Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick thought she had a prayer hanging from her chair.
The Florida Democrat was indicted six months ago on charges of defrauding FEMA of $5 million. He says he is innocent, but if he is found guilty he faces up to 53 years in prison.
Previously, the congressman was trying to beat the prosecutor in court.
But the House Ethics Committee took up the matter, and granted him a reprieve when he lost his legal representation.
DEMOCRAT LOOKED FOR SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK TO RESIGN FROM CONGRESS Amid Impeachment Threat
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., resigned from Congress on Tuesday. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
But on Tuesday, 20 minutes before the ethics panel was to recommend his dismissal, he resigned – accusing the committee of a “witch hunt.”
This has become a standard setting for legislators in trouble – you can’t fire me, I quit.
It’s like tapping the fire escape from a burning building to escape a self-inflicted fire, all the while complaining about the smoke.
WHY ERIC SWALWELL WAS FORCED TO LEAVE THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE AFTER SEX ALLEGATIONS.
Just nine days ago, two other members of Congress did the same.
Eric Swalwell resigned his seat on April 14 after allegations of sexual misconduct emerged, which he denied, despite the California Democrat’s insistence, after withdrawing his campaign for governor, that he would not resign.
On the same day, Republican Tony Gonzales of Texas, who sent text messages showing an affair with staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, vowed to keep his seat, even if he took his own life.
Both suspects posted bail when they were sent away.
Former Reps. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., resigned on the same day amid various allegations of misconduct. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc; Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images)
When these lawmakers quit, the Ethics Committee automatically loses power, like a wave of a magic wand.
Not that anyone is being deceived. All accounts say they did it to avoid the formal embarrassment of being kicked out of Congress. But in the history books it just goes down as an erasure.
This is a sea change, and I think you could argue that the result is the same. Too often in the past, bipartisan policy panels have dragged their feet, doing nothing or only recommending minimal sanctions.
CORY MILLS SAYS MACE FIRE COULD PUSH HOUSE TO DANGEROUS NEW PLACE
Cherfulis-McCormick, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, won a special election to represent parts of Florida’s Palm Beach and Broward counties.
The lawsuits, which begin the pandemic in 2021, allege that Cherfilus-McCormick received federal disaster funds intended to fight COVID-19 from a health care company owned by his family. Within two months, the lawsuit alleges, more than $100,000 was spent on a three-carat diamond ring for him.
The attorney was also accused of concealing personal and political expenses by listing them as charitable donations and business deductions. His brother and two of his assistants were also named in the charges against them, including money laundering, false tax returns and listing donations from straw donors.
Cherfilus-McCormick dismissed what she called an “unfair, baseless, trumped-up charge” – and vowed not to resign. He even did that.
And the exit may not last. The Ethics Committee voted Tuesday to investigate Florida Republican Cory Mills.
The allegations, according to the panel: Violation of campaign finance laws in his 2022 and 2024 campaigns. Filing false reports with Congress. Asking and accepting inappropriate gifts. Abuse of government resources. And accusations of “sexual misconduct and/or dating violence.”
“I have no plans to resign. We will seek re-election,” Mills told reporters, adding that he is working with him.
There is a lot of partisan politics in this divided House. The departures of Swalwell, Gonzales and Cherfilus-McCormick mean that two Democrats and one Republican have been removed from office. The Dems would like to score.
Speaker Mike Johnson, who pushed hard to fire Cherfilus-McCormick, declined to criticize Mills.
NANCY MACE CONTINUES TO FIRE REPUBLICAN CORY MILLS, CITING ALLEGED MISCONDUCT.
A federal judge issued a restraining order against Mills last fall after the beauty pageant winner, who claims she lived with him while in Florida, alleged that he threatened to release photos of them having sex. Mills called the accusation false and blamed it on a political opponent.
Republican Representative Nancy Mace introduced a motion of impeachment against Mills. “Cory, your days are numbered. Start packing,” said Mace, who is being investigated by the ethics committee for improper recovery practices.
In American history, only 21 members of Congress have been impeached – and 17 of those were for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War.
The first expulsion from the Senate, in 1797, was of William Blount for conspiring to help Great Britain seize Spanish territory.
The first House expulsion was in 1980, when Michael “Ozzie” Myers was expelled for bribery in the Abscam scandal.
James Trafficant was fired in 2002 after being convicted of fraud, bribery and tax evasion.
And George Santos – you remember him, the founder of the serial – was fired in 2023 after the Ethics Committee’s report on campaign fraud.
That’s all. The constitution requires a two-thirds majority in all houses.
The last member of Congress to be successfully expelled was Rep. George Santos, RN.Y. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc)
But in Traficant’s case, did the House really have to wait for a conviction to decide he was unfit to serve?
The House moved quickly on the case of Ozzie Myers, who accepted a $50,000 bribe from undercover FBI agents and was caught on tape saying “money talks in this business with bullies— walking.”
In an unusual move at the time, Anthony Weiner resigned during the sexting scandal in 2011 to avoid being fired. One incentive: It turns out you can still get your union benefits if you quit.
It wasn’t until 2017 that Weiner pleaded guilty to sexting a 15-year-old girl and served 21 months in prison. His laptop became an issue in Hillary Clinton’s campaign last year.
LABOR SECRETARY LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER LEAVES TRUMP ADMIN; KEITH SONDERLING IS CALLED THE ACTING NAME
Travel marketing also works for the executive branch, and many companies as well.
President Trump has fired three Cabinet members in recent weeks: Kristi Noem from Homeland Security, Pam Bondi from the Judiciary, and Lori Chavez-DeRemer from Labor.
But these are always written as resignations, even though there is nothing voluntary about it.
Embarrassed former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer also resigned — showing that the wave of resignations has not stopped in Congress. (Annabelle Gordon/Reuters)
The president is very appreciative of their work. The deportees said they were very happy with this project. They know it’s bad. We all know it sucks. But it gives the fig leaf of the shadow.
Bondi and Noem either committed political malfeasance or, as with the DOJ, did not deliver the results Trump wanted in charging and convicting his political enemies.
But only Chavez-DeRemer is being investigated, by Labor’s inspector general. He is accused of drinking alcohol during the day, ordering his employees to buy him wine at night, having an affair with one of his bodyguards and using government services when he travels. Several top aides, including the security chief, have resigned. Her husband was not allowed to enter the building due to complaints of being told against his will.
Chavez-DeRemer, who denies wrongdoing, has not been charged, but he was days away from interviewing investigators and became a growing distraction.
“It has been an honor and a privilege to serve this historic administration and serve the greatest president of my lifetime,” he said in X’s letter.
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Perhaps we are entering an era of greater accountability. The toothless Ethics Committee is finally showing its bite.
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Voters always have the option to call members of the House in the next election, but that doesn’t mean much when almost every district is safe. But perhaps we are reaching a point where it is not safe politically when Congress fails to police itself.
