Former Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) is running for reelection, despite having resigned from her seat ahead of her likely expulsion from Congress.
Cherfilus-McCormick resigned on Tuesday, ahead of a House Ethics Committee sanctions hearing over allegations she stole $5 million from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Though her political career looked to be over, the former congresswoman filed for reelection on April 17, and an aide confirmed to NOTUS on Friday that she had no plans to drop out.
She is running as a Democrat.
Cherfilus-McCormick maintained her innocence and struck a note of defiance in her Tuesday resignation statement, calling the investigation a “witch hunt” and saying that “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.”
Her campaign to run for reelection implies she believes the charges will be beaten by the time she would hypothetically take office again.
SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK RESIGNS AHEAD OF LIKELY HOUSE EXPULSION
“This was not a fair process,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in her Tuesday resignation statement. “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.”
Cherfilus-McCormick had long been under investigation, with the House Ethics Committee panel previously finding her guilty of 25 ethics violations. The committee had issued 58 subpoenas, interviewed 28 witnesses, and reviewed in excess of 33,000 documents as part of the investigation.
She announced her resignation just minutes before the House ethic’s panel was expected to release their decision about whether she should be expelled.