NEED TO KNOW

• A bipartisan eight-member subcommittee found 25 of 27 alleged ethics violations proven by clear and convincing evidence
• The ruling followed the first public House Ethics Committee adjudicatory hearing in nearly 16 years
• Cherfilus-McCormick faces parallel federal criminal charges — she has pleaded not guilty and maintains her innocence

WASHINGTON, D.C. (TDR) — A bipartisan House Ethics Committee subcommittee ruled Friday that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) committed 25 of 27 alleged ethics violations — finding by clear and convincing evidence that she improperly funneled more than $5 million in federal disaster funds for personal use and to finance her congressional campaign.

The big picture: The ruling is the most consequential congressional ethics finding since the 2023 expulsion of Rep. George Santos — and the institutional machinery now in motion could produce the same outcome. But the parallel criminal case, not yet tried, means the full accountability picture is still months from resolution.

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10

• The full Ethics Committee will convene after Congress returns from April recess to determine what sanctions to recommend — expulsion requires a two-thirds House vote
• Cherfilus-McCormick would be only the seventh House member ever expelled if the chamber votes to remove her; Santos was the sixth, in 2023
• The Ethics Committee's 242-page report outlines a campaign-finance scheme in which Cherfilus-McCormick portrayed her 2022 campaign as self-financed when it was funded through the FEMA overpayment

Why it matters: This is not a partisan hit job — the ruling came from a bipartisan panel, was confirmed by a joint statement from both the Republican chairman and Democratic ranking member, and followed months of investigation with a 242-page evidentiary record.

• Disaster relief funds intended for COVID-19 vaccine registration in South Florida were diverted — the scheme exploited pandemic-era emergency funding at the expense of constituents Cherfilus-McCormick was elected to serve
• The panel found she accepted illegal straw donations — routing campaign money through friends and relatives who donated it back disguised as personal contributions — and purchased a 3.14-carat yellow diamond ring with stolen funds
• The criminal trial, expected to begin in coming months, carries a potential sentence of up to 53 years across 15 federal counts including theft of government funds, money laundering, and filing a false tax return

Driving the news: Thursday's six-hour public hearing — which stretched past midnight before the subcommittee reached its verdict — was itself a historic event, the committee's first public adjudicatory proceeding in nearly 16 years.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE THE DUPREE REPORT

• The hearing was made public because Cherfilus-McCormick denied the allegations and refused to resign — standard practice keeps these proceedings private when a member cooperates
• Ethics panel senior counsel Sydney Bellwoar identified the most egregious act as a June 23, 2021 transfer in which Trinity Healthcare wired $2 million directly to Cherfilus-McCormick, who moved it to her campaign the following day
• The subcommittee declined to find her guilty on two counts — one involving knowledge of false FEC filings and one citing lack of candor with Ethics investigators — the only findings that went in her favor
• Cherfilus-McCormick declined to testify, invoking her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination

What they're saying: The bipartisan ruling drew sharp reactions — including from within Cherfilus-McCormick's own party.

• Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a moderate from Washington state — posted Friday morning that Cherfilus-McCormick "should resign or be removed," writing: "You can't crime your way into legitimate power"
• House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters Thursday the evidence is "so stark" that even many Democrats acknowledge it — while saying the process must run its course
• Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL), who has led the expulsion push — told reporters he will move to expel on the floor as soon as the full Ethics Committee completes its sanction determination
• House Democratic leaders have not condemned Cherfilus-McCormick and say they want to see the ethics process conclude — members of the Congressional Black Caucus appeared at the start of Thursday's hearing in an apparent show of support

Yes, but: The ethics ruling and the criminal case are legally separate proceedings — and Cherfilus-McCormick's attorney has a legitimate due process argument that the panel's findings could prejudice her right to a fair trial before a jury of peers.

• Attorney William Barzee argued Thursday: "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 Representatives?"
• The subcommittee rejected Barzee's request for a delay — but the tension between congressional accountability proceedings and criminal due process is a genuine legal question, not a deflection
• Barzee also argued Cherfilus-McCormick was "entitled" to the funds under a profit-sharing agreement — but the panel found that supporting document was an undated chart, and lawmakers were openly skeptical

Between the lines: The two votes that didn't go against Cherfilus-McCormick are worth watching. The subcommittee declined to find she knowingly caused her campaign to file false FEC records — a distinction that may matter in her criminal defense, even as 25 other counts were upheld.

• House Democratic leadership's silence is a calculation, not a principle — with a thin majority, losing even one seat through expulsion or resignation tightens an already precarious margin ahead of a difficult midterm environment
• The Santos precedent cuts both ways: Republicans voted to expel one of their own when the evidence became overwhelming — that now sets a bipartisan standard that Democratic leaders will struggle to avoid when expulsion comes to a floor vote
• Cherfilus-McCormick represents Florida's 20th District — a safely Democratic seat — meaning expulsion would likely result in a Democratic successor through special election, reducing the partisan cost of removal for her own party

What's next:

• The full Ethics Committee convenes after April recess to determine sanctions — expulsion, censure, or reprimand are all on the table
• Rep. Steube has signaled he will immediately bring an expulsion resolution to the floor following the committee's sanction recommendation
• Cherfilus-McCormick's federal criminal trial is expected to begin in coming months — Barzee has indicated it may slip to summer or fall
• She remains in office, continues to draw her salary, and has not resigned

When a bipartisan panel finds a sitting lawmaker guilty of stealing disaster relief funds by clear and convincing evidence — and leadership in her own party stays quiet — what standard, exactly, is left for accountability in Congress to mean something?

Sources

This report was compiled using information from CBS News, NBC News, The Hill, ABC News, Local 10/WPLG, Florida Phoenix, and NBC News/MS Now.

Freedom-Loving Beachwear by Red Beach Nation - Save 10% With Code RVM10