House Democrat Faces Rare Public Hearing Amid Investigation

The Florida Democrat has consistently denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

BREAKING: Justice Department Charges House Democrat For Allegedly Stealing $5 Million In FEMA Funds, Faces Up To 53 YEARS In Prison If Convicted

NBC News shared further:

Such Ethics meetings are typically conducted in private. But the committee has decided to bring this issue out into the open — the House’s version of a court trial — due to the fact that she has decided to fight the allegations rather than resign, and the ethics case is moving faster than the judicial system.

Thursday’s televised hearing is what’s known as an “adjudicatory” subcommittee hearing, and the lawmakers participating have been tasked with determining if any of the alleged violations by Cherfilus-McCormick have been proven by the monthslong Ethics Committee investigation.

If she is found guilty of violating multiple House rules, the Ethics Committee could recommend her censure, reprimand, removal from committees or even expulsion from the House.

The Justice Department indicted Cherfilus-McCormick in November on charges that she stole and laundered $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funding. Her family’s health care company had been working with FEMA through a Covid-19 vaccination contract, but then received a $5 million overpayment. The Justice Department alleged she and her brother never paid it back, routed it through multiple accounts and then used it to fund her successful 2022 special election campaign.

“On March 26, 2026, the adjudicatory subcommittee in the matter of Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick will hold a public hearing, beginning at 2:00 p.m. in 1310 Longworth House Office Building. Committee counsel filed a motion for summary judgment in the matter on March 6, 2026. Respondent declined the opportunity to submit a response to the motion for summary judgment. Instead, on March 23, 2026, Respondent filed a motion to reconsider the adjudicatory subcommittee’s March 17, 2026, decisions on Respondent’s motion to stay the adjudicatory proceedings and motion to hold any adjudicatory hearing in executive session,” the House Ethics Committee stated.

“At the March 26th hearing, the adjudicatory subcommittee will first consider Respondent’s motion to reconsider. If the adjudicatory subcommittee does not grant the motion to reconsider, then the subcommittee will consider Committee counsel’s motion for summary judgment. The Committee hereby publishes Committee counsel’s motion for summary judgment, Respondent’s motion to reconsider, and Committee counsel’s response to Respondent’s motion to reconsider,” it continued.

POLITICO has more:

Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and his office say that Cherfilus-McCormick is “entitled to her day in court and the presumption of innocence,” and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar of California told reporters Wednesday he also would not “prejudge any outcome” of the Ethics Committee’s proceedings.

But after Democrats agitated for the removal of serial fraudster Rep. George Santos of New York ahead of a full Ethics process in 2023, the party could be vulnerable to political attacks if it doesn’t now police a credibly accused embezzler in its own midst.

“If they give us conclusions that this actually happened, and there’s no question of doubt as to the fact that laws were broken, then our colleague will have to face the consequences of that — it’s plain and simple,” said Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) in an interview.

“You lose your credibility if you’re applying a different set of laws and a different standard to people of the other party,” he said. “I mean, how could we ever justify anything we do if we only apply that to Republicans, and we don’t follow the law?”

Rep. Becca Balint (D-Vt.) said her party has to be mindful of how voters perceive corruption in Washington.

“I think there’s pressure on all of us in elected office right now,” she said in an interview. “Neither party is trusted by the public that we’re going to fight corruption. … I know from talking with my own constituents that this is a real issue for both parties, not just Republicans.”