Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick found guilty of campaign finance violations by House Ethics Committee, raising concerns over accountability and legal consequences
The House Ethics Committee has found Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of violating campaign finance laws and regulations, including failing to comply with Federal Election Commission regulations and uphold the Code of Ethics for Government Service, particularly in disclosing campaign contributions. This finding comes as the congresswoman faces separate criminal charges for allegedly stealing millions in federal disaster funds and using them to bolster her 2021 campaign. A full hearing will be held after the April recess to determine potential sanctions.
The committee detailed several instances between 2021 and 2022 where it believes her campaign improperly reported over a dozen payments as loans. This was allegedly done “to create the appearance of a financially strong campaign.” Cherfilus-McCormick stated her intention to focus on her work in Congress and prove her innocence.
“I look forward to proving my innocence. Until then, my focus remains where it belongs: showing up for the great people of Florida’s 20th District who sent me to Washington to fight for them,” she said in a statement.
The report and public hearing bring renewed attention to how Congress polices its members. This situation increases pressure on Democrats, who have previously used ethics proceedings against Republican colleagues. The House proceedings are separate from the ongoing criminal proceedings against Cherfilus-McCormick.
Some in her own party have called for her resignation. “You can’t crime your way into legitimate power. Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed,” Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington state said.
Rep. Mark DeSaulnier of California, the top Democrat on the ethics committee, acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations. “The allegations before us are extremely serious. They not only concern an individual member’s conduct, they also implicate the public’s confidence in the house’s integrity as an institution,” he stated. He added, “Today at a time when public confidence in our institution is so low, this committee’s role in enforcing congressional ethics process and defending the integrity the house could not be more important.”
Cherfilus-McCormick’s legal counsel argued during the public hearing that the panel should pause its investigation due to an ongoing federal case. They contended it could risk violating “her constitutional rights to a fair trial.”
“How can she possibly go into court and have a fair trial if her jurors have already heard that she was found guilty by the House of Representative? It’s an impossibility,” attorney William Barzee told lawmakers.
However, some lawmakers disagreed. Republican Rep. Brad Knott of North Carolina pushed back, stating, “We’re not in a court of law. We’re not dealing in a criminal matter. We are a body that’s unique unto itself. We’re dealing with rules. We’re not dealing with any type of criminal adjudication, I want to just push back on that a little bit that we are not violating her constitutional rights.”
Committee members discussed Cherfilus-McCormick’s company’s finances between 2021 and 2022. Barzee acknowledged that campaign staff mishandled the reporting of campaign funds. He denied allegations that Cherfilus-McCormick explicitly broke the law.
“Many mistakes were made with her campaign and the way they reported the funds,” he said during the hearing. “There’s no question about that.”
Knott expressed skepticism, saying, “When you add up all the things that she did not know, it absolutely flies in the face of common sense.”
In November, the Justice Department indicted Cherfilus-McCormick on charges. Prosecutors accused her of stealing $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayments. Her family health care company had received these funds through a federally funded Covid-19 vaccination staffing contract. Prosecutors allege some of these funds were used to benefit her campaign through candidate contributions.
Cherfilus-McCormick, serving her second full term, pleaded not guilty to these charges last month. At the time of the indictment, Attorney General Pam Bondi called the alleged conduct “a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” adding, “no one is above the law.”
A previously issued report from the Office of Congressional Ethics found that Cherfilus-McCormick’s income in 2021 was over $6 million higher than in 2020. This increase was driven by nearly $5.75 million in consulting and profit-sharing fees from Trinity Healthcare Services.
The House Ethics Committee unanimously voted in July to reauthorize an investigative subcommittee for the 119th Congress to examine allegations involving the congresswoman. House Speaker Mike Johnson described the allegations as “a very serious matter.” He noted that the internal process must play out.
“Expulsion, obviously, is effectively the political death penalty. There are occasions that that meet that standard, but it’s a decision of the body to determine that. So, you look at all the factors, and you figure that out, we’ll be doing that here,” the Republican leader said. “In this case, it seems that this member of Congress has egregiously violated the law and exploited taxpayers and all the rest, and that that would be, it would be a harsh penalty necessary for that. It’s true. It’ll be a decision of the body.”
House Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar stated, “We’ll see what happens,” when asked about Democrats accepting the congresswoman’s removal if recommended by the committee. “We believe that Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick has an opportunity to defend herself both from the allegations here under the dome as well as those in a courtroom,” he said Wednesday. When asked earlier this week about the party opposing expulsion, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries responded, “Next question.”