Disgraced Democrat resigns over 'witch hunt' investigation to evade humiliating expulsion

Fibis

Apr 21, 2026 - 14:28

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Disgraced Democrat resigns over 'witch hunt' investigation to evade humiliating expulsion

A Democrat resigned from Congress Tuesday as her colleagues ramped up efforts to expel the lawmaker over her corruption scandal.

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Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida avoided her imminent expulsion by simply resigning, claiming that the House Ethics Committee's investigation was a "witch hunt" that violated her "due process rights." The investigative subcommittee effectively found Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of dozens of campaign finance violations after she was accused of laundering millions of dollars worth of COVID-era FEMA funds into her campaign account.

'That is a dangerous path.'

"This was not a fair process," Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement Tuesday. "The Ethics Committee refused my new attorney's reasonable request for time to prepare my defense. By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself. I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt."

"I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished. Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida's 20th district."

Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

Cherfilus-McCormick argued that the committee was setting a "dangerous precedent," claiming she was not treated fairly during the investigation.

"But let me say this plainly: we should be very careful about the precedent we are setting," Cherfilus-McCormick said in the statement. "In this country, we do not punish people before due process is complete. We do not allow allegations alone to override the will of the people. That is a dangerous path, and one that should concern every American, regardless of party."

Cherfilus-McCormick is the second Democrat and third lawmaker in recent weeks to resign from Congress. Former Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California dropped out of his gubernatorial race and later resigned from Congress after multiple women, including former staffers, accused him of sexual misconduct.

Swalwell's resignation was accompanied by a resignation from former Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas, who also got caught in a sex scandal with one of his former staffers who tragically took her own life by setting herself on fire. Gonzales later admitted to the affair and dropped out of his re-election race before eventually resigning from Congress altogether.

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Published at The Blaze

Originally Published at Daily Wire, Daily Signal, or The Blaze

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Fibis I am just an average American. My teen years were in the late 70s and I participated in all that that decade offered. Started working young, too young. Then I joined the Army before I graduated High School. I spent 25 years in, mostly in Infantry units. Since then I've worked in information technology positions all at small family owned companies. At this rate I'll never be a tech millionaire. When I was young I rode horses as much as I could. I do believe I should have been a cowboy. I'm getting in the saddle again by taking riding lessons and see where it goes.