Source: Fox News
Summary
A bipartisan House Ethics subcommittee has voted to recommend the removal of Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) from Congress, citing nearly two dozen alleged violations, including laundering millions of disaster relief funds into her campaign account. The subcommittee’s decision follows a rare public ethics hearing, where lawmakers grilled Cherfilus-McCormick’s counsel. The panel will meet after the Easter recess to determine the recommended punishment, which could include expulsion. Cherfilus-McCormick faces a separate federal criminal indictment and has pleaded not guilty.
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As expected, the matter has reached another stage.
The process has become a familiar ritual, with lawmakers from both parties playing their roles in the ethics hearing. The bipartisan panel’s decision is a predictable outcome, given the serious allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick. The hearing itself was a performance, with lawmakers grilling Cherfilus-McCormick’s counsel and the counsel’s arguments being met with skepticism. The use of phrases like “handshake agreement” and “profit-sharing agreement” to justify the alleged misconduct adds to the sense of familiarity and routine. The fact that Cherfilus-McCormick’s new attorney sought to delay the proceedings until June, only to be denied, feels like a predictable plot twist.
Author: Evan Null
