WASHINGTON – A congresswoman accused of stealing $5 million in federal disaster aid relief funds abruptly resigned on April 21 amid mounting bipartisan scrutiny, a damning ethics investigation and a criminal indictment.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Democrat who represents southeastern Florida, became the third member of Congress to resign in just a week rather than risk potential expulsion.
Her announcement fits into a broader moral reckoning that has gripped Capitol Hill after accusations of sexual misconduct pushed out two male lawmakers, Reps. Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, on April 13.
Cherfilus-McCormick's departure came just minutes before a hearing in the House Ethics Committee, which last week concluded, following a two-year probe into her conduct, that the congresswoman had committed more than two dozen ethics violations.
In a statement, she derided the panel for conducting what she called a "witch hunt" and denied any wrongdoing.
