Ethics panel recommends further investigation into Cherfilus-McCormick
The Office of Congressional Ethics (OCE) has recommended that the House Ethics Committee investigate Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) for potential violations of house rules and campaign finance laws. The inquiry stems from allegations that she may have sought funds for a for-profit entity and accepted campaign contributions associated with official actions. these allegations have been under scrutiny since 2023.
A report released by the OCE on May 2024 suggests the Ethics Committee further review these allegations, although it also recommended dismissing other claims against Cherfilus-McCormick related to favoritism and misreporting contributions. In a statement, Cherfilus-McCormick emphasized her commitment to cooperating with the inquiry and noted that the referral does not imply any wrongdoing.
Her previous controversies included allegedly using official funds for campaign ads during the 2022 primaries and failing to report financial transactions involving her campaign and personal business accounts. Additionally, her family-owned company recently agreed to repay the state of Florida $5.6 million erroneously received during the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting ongoing financial issues surrounding her business dealings.
Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick may have violated House rules and campaign finance laws, Ethics panel says
The Office of Congressional Ethics recommended that the House Ethics Committee launch an investigation into Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) after the board determined there was enough evidence to suggest she may have requested funds for a for-profit entity and violated campaign finance laws.
In a report from May 2024 released on Thursday, the OCE had recommended the Ethics Committee, a bipartisan 10-member panel, further review allegations against the Florida congresswoman in a probe that has been ongoing since 2023.
The report recommends that the Ethics Committee investigate whether she requested community project funding for a for-profit entity, accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action, and whether her office either made payments to an entity or her campaign accepted and failed to report in-kind contributions.
However, the OCE also recommended that the committee dismiss two allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick: one accusing her of dispensing special favors or privileges to friends related to community project funding requests, and another accusing her of misreporting the source of campaign contributions.
“The Committee on Ethics has not yet concluded its review of the allegations, and no decision has been made at this time,” Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement. “As outlined in the Committee’s public statement, the referral for further review does not imply that any violation has occurred. I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close.”
Cherfilus-McCormick first came under fire in 2022 after she allegedly used her official House-funded budget to air campaign-style TV ads ahead of her competitive primary in the midterm elections. Under congressional law, members are prohibited from financing campaign purposes with official funds.
In 2023, the OCE released a report detailing several allegations against the Florida congresswoman, including a failure to report transactions between the campaign committee’s bank account and her businesses’ accounts.
Cherfilus-McCormick faced another setback earlier this month after Trinity Health Services, a company owned by the congresswoman and her family, agreed to pay back $5.6 million owed to the state. The company has until 2040 to pay the state the millions it mistakenly received from Florida during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The lawsuit from the Florida Department of Emergency Management stated the agency intended to pay Trinity just over $50,000, but it ended up sending approximately 100 times that amount.
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In 2021, shortly after the state claimed it overpaid the company, Cherfilus-McCormick’s campaign records showed 88% of the money spent on her competitive 2021 campaign was self-financed. A timeline from Inside Elections showed her spending and raising very little — until 2021, when her company received millions of dollars and the congresswoman started loaning her campaign huge sums.
The Washington Examiner reached out to Cherfilus-McCormick for comment.
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