Florida congresswoman Cherfilus-McCormick committed 25 ethics
violations, House panel finds
[March 28, 2026]
By STEPHEN GROVES and MEG KINNARD
WASHINGTON (AP) — Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida
committed numerous violations of House rules and ethics standards, the
House Ethics Committee found Friday in a ruling that could add weight to
Republicans’ potential push to expel her from Congress.
After meeting into early Friday morning following a seven-hour hearing,
the ethics panel of four Democrats and four Republicans found that
Cherfilus-McCormick had committed 25 ethics violations, including
breaking campaign finance laws. The panel said it would recommend a
punishment in the coming weeks.
The allegations center on Cherfilus-McCormick’s receipt of millions of
dollars from her family’s health care business following Florida’s
overpayment of roughly $5 million in disaster relief funds. Cherfilus-McCormick
is accused of using that money to fund her 2022 congressional campaign
through a network of businesses and family members.
The congresswoman, who is running for a fourth term representing a
southeastern Florida district, has denied wrongdoing, and her attorney
stridently criticized Thursday’s public hearing — the first open
proceeding in nearly 15 years. But the ruling from the Ethics Committee
could fuel a potential vote on her expulsion and divide a Democratic
caucus that is trying to make a comeback to power in the November
midterm elections.
Cherfilus-McCormick also faces federal charges for allegedly stealing $5
million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds and using the funds to
purchase items such as a 3-carat yellow diamond ring. Her brother,
former chief of staff and her accountant were also charged. She has
pleaded not guilty to those charges, and her attorney indicated Thursday
that the trial is expected to start in the coming months.
“I look forward to proving my innocence," Cherfilus-McCormick said in a
statement. "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.”
What did the Ethics panel find her guilty of?
The congresswoman declined to testify during Thursday’s ethics hearing,
citing her Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. Her
attorney, William Barzee, sparred with some of the lawmakers on the
ethics panel and argued that they should have allowed a thorough ethics
trial, where he could present witnesses and evidence to counter the
conclusions of House investigators.
Barzee accused the panel of giving further momentum to the effort to
“throw a woman out of Congress who was duly elected by her constituents”
based primarily on bank records.
Committee investigators laid out 27 violations of House ethics standards
and rules in a 242-page report. The report accused Cherfilus-McCormick
of winning a 2022 special election by portraying her campaign as
self-financed when it was actually funded through the $5 million
overpayment her family’s company received from Florida for coronavirus
vaccination services.
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Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., listens during a rally on
Jan. 28, 2026, in support of the extension of Temporary Protected
Status (TPS) for Haitian immigrants before it expires in Fort
Lauderdale, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky, File)
Barzee had argued that “she was entitled to that money,” citing a
document detailing how her family would share the proceeds from the
health care business. But lawmakers on the ethics panel were
skeptical of that argument.
The panel found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of all but two of the
ethics violations proposed by investigators. Lawmakers declined to
find her guilty on one allegation that she received political help
from an organization run by an adviser and her husband, which
received funding from the Haitian government. The panel also did not
find her guilty of refusing to cooperate with the ethics
investigation.
Will there be a push to expel Cherfilus-McCormick?
The full House Ethics Committee said it would meet after Congress
returns from a two-week break in April and consider what punishment
to recommend for a vote in the House.
Rep. Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, told reporters Thursday that
once the committee makes a determination, he “will move on the floor
to expel.”
House Democratic leaders have declined to condemn Cherfilus-McCormick
and said they wanted to see the ethics process play out. A couple of
members of the Congressional Black Caucus, one of the most powerful
groups of Democratic members, also showed up to the start of the
ethics hearing Thursday in an apparent show of support for Cherfilus-McCormick.
Every seat in the tightly divided House is valuable, with votes
routinely coming down to just a couple of votes. If Cherfilus-McCormick's
seat is vacated, it would give Republicans a little more room to
maneuver bills through the chamber.
But Democratic Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, a moderate member from
Washington state who often breaks with her caucus, posted on social
media Friday morning that “since she was found guilty, she should
resign or be removed.”
The last member to be expelled from Congress was Republican Rep.
George Santos of New York in 2023. He argued at the time that the
House would be “haunted” by the precedent of expelling a member
before a criminal trial played out. House Speaker Mike Johnson,
R-La., voted against expulsion at the time, expressing the same
concern.
It takes a two-thirds majority in the 435-member House to expel a
member.
___
Kinnard reported from Columbia, S.C.
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