Jeffries is silent as Rep. Chervilus McCormick faces the threat of eviction
“As I understand it, the Ethics Committee has a final step in its process, so I will not move forward before the Ethics Committee process will be completed when we return,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said Friday morning. “And then I’ll have more to say.”
House Democratic Conference Chairman Rep. Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., also told Punchbowl News on Friday that he had not seen the ethics committee’s findings, but added “it doesn’t look good” when he told the panel it had committed 25 ethics violations. These charges include money laundering, making false statements on campaign finance reports, and seeking special favors from entities that receive federal funding.
An eight-member House ethics subcommittee determined Friday that Rep. Sheila Chervilus McCormick, D-Fla., committed 25 House ethics violations, which could lead to her potential expulsion from the House. (Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The Florida Democrat faces a separate problem Federal criminal indictment This could lead to more than five decades in prison if convicted. Chervilus McCormick, who has pleaded not guilty, is accused of illegally diverting millions in disaster relief funds that were improperly paid to her family’s health care company to finance her congressional run and the purchase of luxury items, including a massive diamond ring.
The House Ethics Committee said it would announce this Recommended sentence for Chervilus McCormick in April, which could be as serious as eviction. Under House rules, a two-thirds majority must support a resolution to formally remove Florida’s Democratic nominee from the chamber.
Jeffries’ refusal so far to condemn Chervilus McCormick’s behavior reflects the relative silence of the Democratic caucus, though some rank-and-file members are beginning to break their silence on the Florida Democratic nominee.
Moderate Rep. Mary Glusenkamp Perez, D-Wash., was the first Democratic lawmaker to issue a public statement on Friday calling for Chervilus McCormick to resign or be fired following the guilty verdict.
“You cannot murder your way to legitimate power,” Glusenkamp-Pérez wrote. “Since she is guilty, she must resign or be impeached,” he added.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. She has so far refused to convict Rep. Sheila Chervilus McComrick, an accused congresswoman who faces an imminent threat of expulsion. (Kevin Deitch/Getty Images; Andrew Harnick/Getty Images)
A handful of other Democrats in Congress said Friday they would look into the matter Support the expulsion decision If the accused representative does not leave on her terms.
A Jefferies spokesperson did not respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Despite the looming threat of expulsion, Chervilus-McCormick has given no indication that she will resign. She is also running for a fourth term in the midterm elections scheduled for November.
“I look forward to proving my innocence,” Chervilos-McCormick said in a statement on Friday. “Until then, my focus will remain where it belongs: showing up for the great people of Florida’s 20th District, who sent me to Washington to fight for them.”
Rep. Mary Glusenkamp Perez, D-Wash., was the first Democrat in Congress to call on Rep. Sheila Chervilos-McCormick to resign or be fired after the conclusion of a rare House ethics hearing. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
Click here to download the FOX NEWS app
The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), the campaign arm of House Republicans, criticized congressional Democrats’ lack of outrage over Chervilus McCormick’s behavior.
“The Ethics Committee just confirmed that Sheila Chervilus McCormick broke the rules, and House Democrats are still saying nothing,” NRC spokesman Mike Marinella said Friday. “Their silence is a choice. Democrats can defend impeachment or continue to protect those found to have violated ethics, but voters will not forget.”
Post Comment