Florida Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigns from Congress

Former Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick and her eyelashes 

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) resigned from Congress today, Tuesday, April 21, 2026. The resignation went down just minutes before a scheduled House Ethics Committee hearing set to consider formal disciplinary action, which could have included expulsion recommendations.

The committee had previously found "clear and convincing evidence" of 25 out of 27 violations related to ethics rules and campaign finance laws, including allegations that she misused millions in federal COVID-era FEMA disaster relief funds (improperly sent to her family's health care company) to support her 2022 congressional campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick said in her arrogant statement that the process was a "witch hunt" and unfair "political games," saying she chose to step away rather than continue. Her resignation is effective immediately.

"Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away so I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida's 20th District," she wrote on social media Tuesday afternoon. "I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately."

"This fight is far from over," Cherfilus-McCormick, who was indicted by a grand jury last year for allegedly stealing COVID-19 emergency funds, added in her statement.

She is facing 53 years in prison as part of a separate criminal indictment. The chances that her actually serving that sentence is as remote as JD Pritzker running a marathon.

Her abrupt announcement came after Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) pledged to file a motion to expel her, teeing up a vote later this week. It takes two-thirds of the House to remove a lawmaker, but a growing number of Democrats have voiced support for the expulsion effort.

House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) announced the panel lost jurisdiction with Cherfilus-McCormick's eleventh-hour decision to quit Congress. The committee panel dropped a bombshell back in March, uncovering "clear and convincing evidence" that Florida Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick had misused federal disaster relief money, funneled improperly straight to her family’s healthcare company, along with a boatload of other misconduct that would make even the most jaded Capitol Hill veteran raise an eyebrow.

Cherfilus-McCormick, of course, has denied any wrongdoing from day one and repeatedly swatted away any chatter that she might actually resign if faced with the real possibility of an expulsion vote.

She took to social media to blast the entire ethics investigation as a "witch hunt" and whined about supposed violations of her due process rights, even though the committee had bent over backward to accommodate her, granting a delay earlier this year when she temporarily lost her legal representation.

But Rep. Michael Guest wasn’t having any of it on Tuesday. The Mississippi Republican pushed back hard on that narrative, pointing out that Cherfilus-McCormick had repeatedly turned down the committee’s invitations to hand over any exculpatory evidence that might clear her name."The committee has worked diligently to investigate this matter," Guest said. "This was not a rush to judgment, as some would claim … this was a very deliberate process to gather information into allegations that were extremely serious, and extremely complicated."

Guest also made sure to thank the committee staff who had spent more than two years grinding through this mess, poring over tens of thousands of documents to get to the bottom of Cherfilus-McCormick’s alleged shenanigans.

And just like that, she became the third lawmaker to resign from Congress in the past week alone. California Democrat Eric Swalwell and Texas Republican Tony Gonzales both stepped down last week to dodge their own expulsion threats tied to serious sexual misconduct allegations.

At least five women have now come forward accusing Swalwell of sexual assault and rape. Gonzales, for his part, admitted to sexual misconduct back in March with a former aide, who later tragically died by suicide.

Despite the storm clouds, Cherfilus-McCormick went ahead and filed for re-election anyway, though her fundraising tells a different story: she scraped together a measly $11,000 in the first quarter of the year, according to the latest FEC filings. Whether she plans to actually keep that campaign alive remains to be seen.

Notably, Cherfilus-McCormick herself wasn’t even on the House floor when her resignation announcement was read aloud.

A staffer for the congresswoman told reporters she was back in Washington with her family as the news dropped.

"She's with her family digesting this development and digesting this decision," the aide said. "As you can imagine, this wasn't what she wanted."

House Democratic leadership stayed conspicuously silent in the run-up to her resignation announcement, even after the Ethics Committee laid out the extensive misconduct in painstaking detail.

But it looks like Cherfilus-McCormick finally caved once a wave of her own Democratic colleagues made it crystal clear they’d vote to expel her if that rare removal vote ever hit the floor.

Former Speaker Nancy Hands-a-Flying Pelosi, never one to mince words, went on Fox News Tuesday and basically said enough is enough: "Let’s just get this over with."

Pelosi also called for the swift boot of embattled Rep. Cory Mills, the Florida Republican currently under Ethics Committee scrutiny for an alleged domestic violence incident and other issues.

"These cases just being out there . . .  they make us look terrible," Pelosi said.House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, meanwhile, didn’t publicly call on Cherfilus-McCormick to step down before she pulled the plug.

On the other side of the aisle, Speaker Mike Johnson argued that the Ethics Committee should be allowed to finish its work on Mills before any punishment gets considered.

"I'm confident that they are moving along as quickly as they are able," Johnson told Fox News. "And when members cooperate, which my understanding is Representative Mills is cooperating, unlike Cherfilus-McCormick, I would expect that the outcome would be much sooner."

"He's very upset about some of the allegations that have been made," Johnson added of Mills. "He says that he wants to prove his innocence, and he has the opportunity to do that."

By the way, this resignation didn’t fly under the radar, major outlets across the spectrum, Brain Flushings, PBS and CNN to CBS, Fox News, The Hill, Politico, Reuters, NBC, and The Washington Post, all jumped on the story today.

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Indicted Democrat Rep. closer to expulsion: House Ethics panel finds her guilty of 25 violations

A bipartisan panel of House lawmakers voted to kickstart a process that could lead to the expulsion of a congressional Democrat accused of laundering millions of disaster relief funds into her campaign account.

A House Ethics investigative subcommittee approved a motion for summary judgment, effectively finding Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) guilty of nearly all alleged violations outlined by the committee earlier this year.

The guilty verdict came after a rare public ethics hearing on Thursday, the first since 2010, that lasted more than six hours as lawmakers from both parties grilled Cherfilus-McCormick’s counsel. The eight-member adjudicatory subcommittee, helmed by Rep. Michael Guest (R-MS), announced its decision in a written statement Friday morning.

"After careful deliberation that lasted until well past midnight, the adjudicatory subcommittee found that Counts 1-15 and 17-26 of the SAV [statement of alleged violations] had been proven," committee leaders said in a statement.

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted by a Miami grand jury for allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funds on Nov. 18, 2025, according to the Department of Justice. I would say that she is toast, but it almost feels like politicians often get away with most things short of murder. And let's face it, even Hillary Clinton is walking free.

The panel’s slew of charges against the congresswoman, who is facing a separate federal criminal indictment, ranged from using ineligible funds to finance her campaign to repeatedly filing false financial disclosure forms and seeking "special favors" with recipients of earmark funding requests.

The panel will meet after the Easter recess to determine its recommended punishment, which could be as severe as expulsion, a rare move that has been historically dominated by Democrats.

Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) has vowed to move forward with his resolution that would expel Cherfilus-McCormick regardless of the outcome.

Under House rules, two-thirds of lawmakers have to agree to expel a member, meaning Steube’s resolution would need the support of some Democrats, who rarely go against their own no matter what the evidence. [One has to wonder if this is done to protect themselves.]

House Democratic leadership so far has largely stood by Cherfilus-McCormick as is their wont, though some congressional Democrats are signaling their discomfort with the allegations against their indicted colleague.

"The allegations before us are extremely serious," Rep. Mark Desaulnier (D-CA) said at the start of the hearing Thursday. "They not only concern an individual member’s conduct, they also implicate the public’s confidence in the House’s integrity as an institution." We shall see if he is serious about his words.

Cherfilus-McCormick, who first won election to Congress in 2021, is accused of stealing more than $5 million in disaster relief funds that were improperly paid to her family’s healthcare company, among other criminal allegations. She and her siblings allegedly used the illicit funds to jumpstart her congressional campaign and for personal use, including the purchase of a humungous diamond ring that she appeared to have worn in her official congressional portrait.

Cherfilus-McCormick has pleaded not guilty to the stunning federal charges brought in 2025. If convicted in federal court, Cherfilus-McCormick, 47, faces up to 53 years in prison, which I suspect is as unlikely as getting struck by lightning on a clear day at noon inside of Grand Central Station.

The House ethics panel’s investigation into Cherfilus-McCormick preceded the 2025 federal criminal indictment by more than two years. During that time, she had shifted between four different attorneys while largely refusing to cooperate with the bipartisan panel. 

On Thursday, Cherfilus-McCormick sought to use the fact of her new legal representation to further delay the committee’s proceedings until June, a request the eight-member panel promptly denied in a closed-door session. Her new attorney, William Barzee, repeatedly claimed a violation of Cherfilus-McCormick’s due process rights while maintaining her innocence, which is something he gets paid to say.

"For you to sit here and make the claim that we, the committee, is trying to trample upon the rights of your client. I take offense to that," Guest told Barzee in a combative exchange. "For two years we've tried to get documents from your client. Not only have we requested documents, but we have subpoenaed those documents. Those documents were not provided for two years.

"I'm personally offended because I know the work that this committee goes to protect all members and to make sure that we go above and beyond," Guest continued.

Members of both parties appeared unconvinced by Barzee’s argument, attempting to claim that Cherfilus-McCormick was entitled to the millions of dollars she accepted from her family’s company that stemmed from the FEMA overpayments. In what universe does that make sense?

When Barzee claimed that an undated chart was evidence of a "profit-sharing agreement" showing her legal title to the money, the bipartisan panel appeared visibly pissed off.

"I did a lot of business transaction law for a number of years before I came to Congress. I drafted a lot of profit-sharing agreements. Never saw one that was just a chart that was unsigned," Rep. Nathaniel Moran (R-TX), told Barzee.

Later in the hearing, Barzee argued that because Cherfilus-McCormick is of Haitian descent, it was not atypical to have a "handshake agreement" to divvy up millions of dollars between her and her family instead of a formal legal document.

Cherfilus-McCormick faces an upcoming federal criminal trial this summer. Just don't hold your breath to see justice served in her case. I hope I'm wrong, and I would say exactly the same thing had it been a Republican miscreant.

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Speaker Mike Johnson talks to Santos "about his options” as the boot gets ready

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has been in contact with that lying Rep. George Santos (R-NY) ahead of a possible removal from Congress following a damning House Ethics Committee report.

Johnson spoke to reporters in Sarasota, Florida and told the press that he had “spoken to Congressman Santos at some length over the holiday and talked to him about his options,” [H/T ScrippsNews)

If Santos gets the boot in the butt, he will be the first member of Congress to be expelled in more than twenty years.

Video via @FBSaunders / @scrippsnewsFlorida pic.twitter.com/aKvgZPsdY2

If he somehow doesn’t get expelled, then Congress is as corrupt as the Biden administration.

Regarding the prospect of an expulsion vote this week, NBC News reported that Johnson said “it remains to be seen,” adding that lawmakers will be discussing the matter when they return from the Thanksgiving recess on Tuesday.

Santos was elected to his first term to represent Long Island district last November and thus helped the GOP win a slim majority in the House. However, his finances and balderdash created controversy and multiple inquiries grew which soon pressured him to leave office, which he said, at the time, that he never would.

Now the lying congressman has been handed 23 federal charges including aggravated identity theft, [which Joe Biden also seems to share as he says that he’s the President of the United States of America], wire fraud, and conspiracy. He pleaded not guilty to the charge, which is yet another lie, I believe.

Earlier this month the House Ethics Committee [an oxymoron] released a report saying investigators discovered evidence that Santos violated the House rules and criminal laws.

The gay, Hispanic, Jewish, Catholic, called the congressional inquiry a “smear,” and after the House Ethics report was released, he said that he wouldn’t seek reelection, but pledged, “I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed.”

Here is a list of a few of his alleged lies in no particular order:

1. He never went to Horace Mann H.S. in the Bronx nor graduate in 2008, after which he said he went to Baruch College and graduated in 2010, in just two years of a four-year degree.

2. He lied to campaign donors and used their money to buy designer clothing.

3. He lied to get unemployment benefits.

4. He committed identity theft using the names of donor on credit cards.

5. Lied to Congress with many inconsistencies on his financial statement.

6. He reimbursed himself for loans he did not make.

7. He claimed to have worked on Wall Street for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup—no such records were found.

8. He lied about founding an animal charity “Friends of Pets United,” but there are no records of that company.

9. Swindled a disabled vet whose dog was dying—Richard Osthoff in 2016.

10. His grandmother was not a Holocaust victim, which he claimed.

11. He claimed he had employees who died in the Pulse shooting in 2016—not true.

12. Claimed he had a niece who was kidnapped in Queens, NY but that there is not record of that.

If this guy doesn’t remind you of Joe Biden, I don’t know who would.

Anyway, Santos survived many attempts by his GOP colleagues to expel him from the House this year, but this time may be different with House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest (R-MO) bringing forth another expulsion resolution with a growing number of lawmakers saying they would vote to get him out of the House.

Getting expelled from the House of Representatives is very rare, only being done a handful of times throughout U.S. history partly because it requires a two-thirds majority vote to be successful.

Santos said in a long X Spaces conversation Friday night that he would not resign, saying, “[I’d] admit [to] everything that’s on that report” by doing so. Yet the liar also predicted that he will be expelled from the House if another expulsion resolution goes to the floor for a vote. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good,” he said.

He probably doesn’t even do math.

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Santos' political future awaits Congress' decision

New York Republican Rep. George Santos believes he is going to be kicked out of Congress following a report by the House Ethics Committee that found plenty of evidence that he broke the law and is a disgrace to the Party of Lincoln, aka the Grand Old Party.

In an obscene speech Friday aimed at his congressional colleagues, the lying congressman bragged that he was “not going anywhere.” But he acknowledged that his time as a member of Congress, at least, may soon be coming to an end.

“I know I’m going to get expelled when this expulsion resolution goes to the floor,” he said Friday night during a conversation on X Spaces. “I’ve done the math over and over, and it doesn’t look really good.”

It's likely he didn't do the math because when he says anything, you can take the opposite thing to the bank. 

Santos' comments came a week after the Republican chairman of the House Ethics Committee, Michael Guest, introduced a resolution to expel Santos once the body returns from Thanksgiving break.

The lying congressman skated past two previous expulsion votes but while many voted in his favor, the evidence of alleged misconduct that has been uncovered has become overwhelming.

The report found that he used campaign funds for personal use, enjoying luxury retail purchases and adult content websites. He then had his campaign file false and incomplete reports. 

“Representative Santos sought to fraudulently exploit every aspect of his House candidacy for his own personal financial profit,” investigators wrote. They noted that he did not cooperate with the report and repeatedly “evaded” straightforward requests for information.

The fake college graduate commented about the report on Friday, Nov. 24th, during a conversation on X. He lashed out at his colleagues and described the report as "slanderous," which it wasn't. He even claimed his colleagues often voted while "drunk." 

He didn't want to speak directly about the report adding that the report was "designed to force [me] out of [my] seat." However, any defense of his conduct, he said, could be used against him in the ongoing criminal case brought by federal prosecutors. [H/T AP News]

His decision not to seek reelection, he claimed, was not because of external pressure, but due to his frustration with the “sheer arrogance” of his colleagues.

“These people need to understand it’s done when I say it’s done, when I want it to be done, not when they want it to be done,” he added. “That’s kind of where we are there.”

But remember, it's coming from Santos. Don't believe a word he says.

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House Ethics Committee releases report on Santos with serious resolutions: Santos 'will not seek reelection'

Just stepped out of the clown car

On Thursday morning, the House Ethics Committee released its report on NY GOP Rep. George Santos, [if that's his real name] and gave a projected date on or before November 17 with recommendations he be referred to the Department of Justice.

Chairman Michael Guest (R-MS) and Ranking Member Susan Wild (D-PA) noted in a statement that there is "substantial evidence" to show that Santos "knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House."

Olivia Beavers of POLITICO highlighted various points of the report, including personal expenses such as trips to Atlantic City as well as charges for Sephora, OnlyFans, spas, Hermes, and paying personal credit card bills, bringing in question as to who Santos is a fan of, and what does he put on when nobody is looking.

Santos could also be facing expulsion from Congress, with Guest bringing the resolution this time, after fellow NY Republicans Nick LaLota and Anthony D'Esposito introduced a resolution to expel the Party's embarrassment last month, and were joined by Marc Molinaro, Brandon Williams, and Mike Lawler in calling on their colleagues to support the resolution.

Expulsion from the House needs the support of two-thirds of the members and failed miserably when voted on November 1 due to the fact the report had not then been released.

However, a press release from the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York on October 10 read that "Congressman George Santos Charged With Conspiracy, Wire Fraud, False Statements, Falsification of Records, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Credit Card Fraud."

At this time, Guest has not yet coordinated with the speaker's office. Later on Thursday morning, it was revealed that Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA), who sought to expel Santos with a vote in February, will also be filing a privileged motion.

Which one is the real George Santos?

When the report came out, Santos posted to his X account that the report was "biased" and "a disgusting politicized smear." He then did what he does best--he lied posting:  "I will remain steadfast in fighting for my rights and for defending my name in the face of adversity." 

So on the same day, Thursday, following the completion of the House Ethics Committee review, Santos announced that he will not seek reelection to Congress in 2024.

The lying liar wrote:

I will remain steadfast in fighting for my rights and for defending my name in the face of adversity. I am humbled yet again and reminded that I am human and I have flaws, but I will not stand by as I am stoned by those who have flaws themselves. I will continue on my mission to serve my constituents up until I am allowed. I will however NOT be seeking re-election for a second term in 2024 as my family deserves better than to be under the gun from the press all the time.

Public service life was never a goal or a dream, but I stepped up to the occasion when I felt my country needed it most. I will 100% continue to maintain my commitment to my conservative values in my remaining time in Congress.

We now know there is "substantial evidence" in the House Ethics Committee's report on its investigation showing that Santos "knowingly caused his campaign committee to file false or incomplete reports with the Federal Election Commission; used campaign funds for personal purposes; engaged in fraudulent conduct in connection with RedStone Strategies LLC; and engaged in knowing and willful violations of the Ethics in Government Act as it relates to his Financial Disclosure (FD) Statements filed with the House."

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