The Florida Democrat is accused of diverting millions of dollars in federal disaster funds for political purposes
A Democratic lawmaker resigned on Tuesday, becoming the third member of the US House of Representatives to step down in just over a week as a wave of ethics scandals engulfs Congress.
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida announced her immediate resignation ahead of a scheduled disciplinary hearing by the House Ethics Committee, which had been weighing potential sanctions over a string of campaign finance violations.
Her departure follows the recent resignations of Democrat Eric Swalwell and Republican Tony Gonzales, who stepped down amid separate sexual misconduct allegations, fuelling a rare bipartisan reckoning over lawmakers’ treatment of staff in Congress.
Cherfilus-McCormick had been accused of diverting millions of dollars in federal disaster funds for political purposes and is facing a federal criminal case.
She denies wrongdoing and has pleaded not guilty.
In a statement, she denounced the process as unfair, saying the Ethics Committee “refused my new attorney’s reasonable request for time to prepare my defence” and describing the proceedings as “a witch hunt”.
Source: News - South China Morning Post
