Indicted Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida will step aside from her leadership position on a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee “while the matter is ongoing,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries’ office said Thursday morning.
Democratic Caucus rules require indicted lawmakers to relinquish committee leadership slots.
“Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has proudly represented the people of Palm Beach and Broward Counties since 2022. Consistent with the United States Constitution, she is entitled to her day in court and the presumption of innocence,” Jeffries spokesperson Christie Stephenson said in a statement.
These are the first comments from the New York Democrats’ team since news broke Wednesday night of the new allegations against the lawmaker.
Cherfilus-McCormick has been charged with stealing federal disaster relief funds and using the money to support her campaign for Congress, using straw donors to funnel FEMA funds to friends and having them contribute to her campaign, and conspiring to file a false tax return.
In a Wednesday statement, her attorneys David Oscar Markus, Margot Moss and Melissa Madrigal said she will “fight to clear her good name.”
The Florida Democrat has also been the subject of an ethics investigation into campaign finance issues and requesting community project funding, known as earmarks, to a for-profit entity, potentially in violation of House rules.
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