Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick is in a world of trouble — so much so that she could be going from the House of Representatives to the big house.
Charged with, among other things, overcharging FEMA for $5 million in COVID money to fund everything from her congressional campaign to a 3.14-carat “Fancy Vivid Yellow Diamond” ring, Cherfilus-McCormick may spend up to half a century behind bars if federal prosecutors succeed in getting the maximum sentence.
At the very least, she may be facing expulsion.
On Friday, the House Ethics Committee approved summary judgment against Cherfilus-McCormick in a rare public subcommittee hearing, which is effectively a guilty verdict.
She reportedly won’t resign, which means that there’s now a movement to expel her. And this is before the criminal trial, mind you.
You may have noticed that I haven’t mentioned Cherfilus-McCormick’s party affiliation in the piece, aside from the headline. That seems a bit odd, right?
Well, it certainly didn’t over at NBC News, where this was the headline and subheadline:
BREAKING: House panel finds Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick guilty of 25 ethics counts after she was charged with stealing millions in FEMA. https://t.co/bTWjfWWvwQ
— NBC News (@NBCNews) March 27, 2026
Spoiler alert: Yes, she’s a Democrat! Something that NBC News, for whatever reason — actually, probably for the exact reason you’re thinking of — didn’t mention in the headline. In fact, the only time it was mentioned was probably because style dictated it; in the lede, her party affiliation and state were given after her name.
“After a rare and dramatic public hearing, a special House Ethics subcommittee on Friday found Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., guilty of 25 ethics charges, capping a three-year investigation into allegations she stole millions in federal relief funds and funneled some of that to her congressional campaign,” the lede read.
It doesn’t mention the Democrat aspect again until the eighth paragraph, where they noted that “several Democrats also called on Cherfilus-McCormick to either resign or be expelled.”
However, the one Democrat quoted was also a Democrat who bucks her own party and has drawn its collective ire for doing so: Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez of Washington.
“You can’t crime your way into legitimate power,” she said. “Since she was found guilty, she should resign or be removed.”
NBC News then went on to note that Democratic House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries “did not answer when asked Friday if Cherfilus-McCormick should remain in the House.”
It also didn’t mention that Democrats have had plenty of time to take a position on it, since she was first referred to the House Committee on Ethics by the Office of Congressional Ethics in December of 2023, two years before her indictment.
The adage gets passed around social media like a ubiquitous advertising catchphrase: You may think you hate the media enough, but you don’t hate them enough. Yes, it’s become a bromide at this point, but it retains currency because it’s true.
If this woman were a member of the other party, let me rewrite that headline for you: “House panel finds Republican Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Republican-style guilty of 25 Republican ethics charges. Also, Republican. Can we say Republican again? Sure. Republican.”
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