Three Congress members resign within days as expulsion threats loom

I don’t know how Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick thought she had to pray to hold on to her seat.

The Florida Democrat was indicted six months ago on charges of embezzling $5 million from FEMA. He says he is innocent, but faces up to 53 years in prison if convicted.

In the past, the congressman would simply try to defeat the prosecution in court.

But the House Ethics Committee took up the case and granted him a reprieve while he lost legal representation.

DEMOCRATIC SHEILA CHERFILUS-MCCORMICK ALLEGEDLY RESIGNED FROM CONGRESS DUE TO EXPORT THREAT

But on Tuesday, 20 minutes before the ethics committee was to recommend his deportation, he resigned, accusing the committee of a “witch hunt.”

This suddenly became the default environment for legislators in trouble; You can’t fire me, I’m resigning.

This is like climbing down the fire escape of a burning building to escape a fire you started yourself, while complaining about the smoke.

WHY DID ERIC SWALWELL HAVE TO LEAVE THE CALIFORNIA GOVERNOR’S RACE AFTER SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS?

In the last nine days alone, two other members of Congress have pulled the same maneuver.

Eric Swalwell surrendered his seat on April 14 following mounting accusations of sexual harassment; He denied those allegations, despite the California Democrat’s insistence that he would not resign after abandoning his gubernatorial campaign.

That same day, Texas Republican Tony Gonzales, who revealed in text messages that he was in a relationship with staffer Regina Santos-Aviles, vowed to keep his seat even after she tragically committed suicide.

Both men escaped bail in the face of almost guaranteed deportation.

Former Reps. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, and Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., resigned on the same day amid various allegations of misconduct. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc; Photo: Win McNamee/Getty Images)

When these MPs resign, the Ethics Committee automatically loses jurisdiction, like a wave of a magic wand.

It’s not a situation where anyone is being deceived. Each story says they acted to avoid the official disgrace of being expelled from Congress. However, in the history books this is just a resignation.

This is a big change and I think you could argue that the result is the same. Too often in the past, bipartisan ethics committees dragged their feet, did nothing or recommended only mild sanctions.

Cory Mills Says Bun’s Push Out of Bounds Could Take the House into Dangerous New Territories

Cherfulis-McCormick, a member of the Congressional Black Caucus, won a special election to represent parts of Florida’s Palm Beach and Broward counties.

The charges, which date to the 2021 outbreak, state that Cherfilus-McCormick received federal disaster funds to fight Covid-19 from his family’s healthcare company. The indictment states that more than $100,000 was spent in two months to buy him a 3-carat diamond ring.

The lawmaker was also accused of hiding personal and political expenses by listing them as charitable contributions and business deductions. His brother and two of his assistants were also named in the indictment, which included money laundering, false tax returns and listing donations from straw donors.

Cherfilus-McCormick denied the accusation, calling it “an unfair, unfounded and fraudulent indictment” and vowed not to resign. Until he did it.

And the migration may not end. The Ethics Committee voted Tuesday to investigate Florida Republican Cory Mills.

The allegations, according to the panel: Violating campaign finance laws in the 2022 and 2024 campaigns. Submitting false reports to Congress. Asking for and receiving inappropriate gifts. Abuse of state resources. And accusations of “sexual harassment and/or dating violence.”

Speaking to reporters, Mills said, “I do not plan to resign. We will seek re-election,” adding that he is cooperating.

There is a heavy dose of partisan politics in the divided House. The departure of Swalwell, Gonzales and Cherfilus-McCormick means the removal of two Democrats and one Republican. Democrats would love to even the score.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, who pushed hard to expel Cherfilus-McCormick, refused to criticize Mills.

NANCY MACE moves to deport REPUBLICAN Cory Mills, citing misconduct allegations

A state judge issued a restraining order against Mills last fall after a beauty pageant winner who said she lived with him while he was in Florida alleged that Mills had threatened to blackmail her by publishing footage of them having sex. Mills said the accusation was false and blamed it on a political rival.

Republican Rep. Nancy Mace filed an expulsion resolution against Mills. “Cory, your days are numbered. Start packing,” said Mace, who is being investigated by the ethics committee for improper reimbursement practices.

Only 21 members of Congress have been expelled in American history, and 17 of them were for supporting the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The first expulsion from the Senate in 1797 was due to William Blount’s conspiracy to help Great Britain seize Spanish territories.

The first House expulsion occurred in 1980, when Michael “Ozzie” Myers was exiled for bribery in the Abscam scandal.

James Trafficant was expelled in 2002 after being convicted of racketeering, bribery and tax evasion.

And George Santos — you remember him, the mass manufacturer — was released in 2023 following the Ethics Committee’s report on campaign fraud.

This is it. The constitution requires a two-thirds majority in both houses.

The last member of Congress to be successfully expelled was former Rep. George Santos, R-Y. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc.)

But in Traficant’s case, did the House really have to wait for a criminal conviction to decide that he was unfit to serve?

The House moved more quickly in the case of Ozzie Myers, who accepted a $50,000 bribe from undercover FBI agents and was recorded saying “in this business, money talks and the bulls walk.”

In a rare tactic at the time, Anthony Weiner resigned to avoid expulsion during the 2011 sex scandal. One incentive: It turns out you’re still eligible for federal benefits if you quit.

Only in 2017 did Weiner plead guilty to having sex with a 15-year-old girl and was sentenced to 21 months in prison. His laptop became an issue during Hillary Clinton’s campaign last year.

LABOR SECRETARY LORI CHAVEZ-DEREMER QUITS FROM TRUMP ADMINISTRATION; HEAD OF ACTING NAMED KEITH SONDERLING

Marketing departures also applies to the executive branch and most companies.

President Trump has fired three Cabinet members in recent weeks: Homeland Security’s Kristi Noem, Justice’s Pam Bondi and Labor’s Lori Chavez-DeRemer.

But these are always framed as resignations, though there is nothing voluntary about it.

Scandal-plagued former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer also stepped aside; This showed that this wave of resignations was not limited to Congress. (Annabelle Gordon/Reuters)

The President speaks highly of their performance. The exiles say they are excited to take the job. They know it’s a bowl. We all know it’s a bowl. But it gives honor to the fig leaf.

Bondi and Noem may have engaged in political corruption or, as with the Justice Department, they may not have produced the results Trump wanted to indict and convict his political enemies.

But Chavez-DeRemer is the only one under investigation by Labor’s inspector general. He is accused of drinking during the day, ordering his employees to buy wine at night, having an affair with a security guard and using state resources for personal trips. Several top aides, including the security official, resigned. Her husband was banned from entering the building following complaints of unwanted sexual advances.

Chavez-DeRemer, who has denied any wrongdoing, has not been charged, but he is days away from being questioned by investigators and has become an increasingly distracting figure.

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve this historic administration and work for the greatest president of my life,” X said in his post.

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Perhaps we are moving towards a period of greater responsibilities. The Ethics Committee, long toothless, is finally starting to bite a little.

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Voters always have the option of recalling members of the House of Representatives in the next election, but that doesn’t mean much when nearly all districts are safe. But perhaps we are reaching a point where this is not politically safe when Congress fails to ensure its own security.