NEW: Embattled Democrat Rep. Braces For Potential Expulsion

Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Florida Democrat under federal indictment and facing decades in prison, heads into a rare, high-stakes ethics hearing Thursday that could put her House seat on the line.

Cherfilus-McCormick is expected to testify before the House Ethics Committee during a public proceeding that could lead to a recommendation for expulsion. The ethics case runs parallel to a separate federal criminal case accusing her of siphoning more than $5 million in disaster relief-related funds and using the money to bankroll her first congressional campaign and buy luxury items, including a large diamond ring. Prosecutors also allege she took part in a straw-donor scheme and conspired to file a false federal tax return.

The congresswoman has repeatedly tried to delay the ethics hearing, pointing to the ongoing criminal case and the loss of her legal representation earlier this month. It is unclear whether she will have an attorney with her for Thursday’s testimony.

In a statement sent to Fox News, Cherfilus-McCormick said she is “deeply disappointed” the bipartisan committee chose to move forward, arguing it violated her due process rights.

“I urge the Committee to follow its own precedents and uphold fairness and not allow this process to be driven by politics or numbers,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “I welcome the opportunity to set the record straight and challenge these inaccuracies, when I am legally able to do so.”

Cherfilus-McCormick has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty after the indictment was filed in November 2025. She has also refused Republican calls to resign, a step that would sidestep the ethics trial and the possibility of expulsion.

According to the indictment, Trinity Health Care Services, a company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, received a $5 million Federal Emergency Management Agency overpayment from the state of Florida tied to a COVID-19 vaccine contract. Prosecutors allege the money was not returned, and instead was moved through multiple bank accounts to conceal its origin.

The Ethics Committee has laid out a 27-count statement of alleged violations expected to be aired at the hearing.

🚨Democrat Congresswoman Busted Stealing Disaster Relief Cash to Bankroll Her Own Campaign?

A Miami grand jury just indicted Sheila Cherfilus McCormick for grabbing federal taxpayer disaster money laundering it and pumping every dime straight into her congressional race. This… pic.twitter.com/VoaXZxD1RC

— @XTexasGirlX (@XtexasgirlX) March 25, 2026

Public trials at House Ethics are exceedingly uncommon. This marks the first time the eight-member panel has held a public hearing against a lawmaker since 2010.

Even before the committee weighs in, Rep. Greg Steube, a Florida Republican, says he plans to press ahead with an expulsion resolution regardless of the hearing’s outcome. Expulsion requires a two-thirds vote of the House, meaning a significant number of Democrats would have to join Republicans.

“You’re in a situation where you have a sitting member of Congress who’s allegedly stolen over $5 million in taxpayer funds,” Steube told reporters Tuesday. “She should immediately resign instead of going through this process. But she’s going to force us to do this.”

Steube argued that a bipartisan recommendation from Ethics would corner Democrats.

Sheila Cherfilus McCormick

“If the committee in a bipartisan manner, it recommends an expulsion that puts the Democratic caucus in a very tough position because you would be undermining your own members on the Ethics Committee.”

So far, House Democratic leaders have not said whether they would back expulsion. Cherfilus-McCormick appeared last week alongside other Democrats during remarks by House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries during the DHS shutdown dispute. Asked about the expulsion threat, Jeffries replied, “next question,” according to Fox News.

“I’m not going to prejudge the outcome that they arrive to,” House Democratic Conference Chairman Pete Aguilar said Wednesday. “I respect the members of the ethics committee and the work that they have to do.”

Republicans say the silence speaks volumes.

“So-called ‘Leader’ Hakeem Jeffries talks a big game on corruption, but when it’s one of his own, he suddenly loses his voice,” NRCC spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.

Some Republicans have also pointed to the quick expulsion of former Rep. George Santos, who was booted in 2023 before a criminal conviction, as evidence of a double standard.

“It seems like what happened to George was just like a runaway freight train up here,” Rep. Byron Donalds said Wednesday. “They didn’t even give George an opportunity to get fully through ethics. And so this one’s been a little bit more deliberate.”

“I think going forward, how this one’s been conducted is how it should go,” Donalds added. “It should be deliberate before these kind of judgments just end up on the House floor.”

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