Cherfilus-McCormick is third lawmaker to quit, as wave of scandal swamps US Congress

Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democratic lawmaker from Florida, resigned on Tuesday ahead of a scheduled disciplinary hearing by the House Ethics Committee. This marks the third member of the US House of Representatives to step down in over a week as ethics scandals engulf Congress. Cherfilus-McCormick had been accused of diverting millions of dollars in federal disaster funds for political purposes and is facing a federal criminal case. She denies wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty, describing the proceedings as "a witch hunt". Her departure follows the recent resignations of Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales, who stepped down amid separate sexual misconduct allegations. The scandal has sparked a rare bipartisan reckoning over lawmakers' treatment of staff in Congress.

Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida is resigning from Congress amid an ethics investigation. The House Ethics Committee found she committed 25 violations of House rules and ethical standards, including campaign finance law breaches. Cherfilus-McCormick claims the internal investigation process was unfair and denied her adequate time to prepare a defense. Republicans had called for her expulsion. She also faces federal criminal charges for allegedly stealing $5 million in COVID-19 disaster relief funds, which she denies. The allegations center on her receiving millions from her family's healthcare business after an overpayment of COVID-19 relief funds and using that money to fund her 2022 campaign.