Fiery Ethics Committee hearing ends in guilty ruling for Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

A bipartisan House Ethics Committee panel found Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) guilty on 25 of 27 counts of financial misconduct, including campaign finance violations and false disclosures, following a contentious hours-long hearing Friday. The charges center on a $5 million government overpayment to Cherfilus-McCormick's family health care company that was allegedly funneled through conduits and family members to her 2022 House campaign. The committee will meet in mid-April to decide on punishment ranging from fines to expulsion, and Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) has pledged to force an expulsion vote once the ethics process concludes. Cherfilus-McCormick's attorney, William Barzee, argued she lacked adequate time to prepare a defense while her criminal trial is ongoing, but the committee rejected his motion for delay. House Democratic leadership has resisted expulsion until her criminal case is resolved, though the party's rank-and-file members are increasingly uncomfortable with the situation.