Ahead of the House Ethics Committee’s hearing on Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s alleged misconduct, including charges that Cherfilus-McCormick stole $5 million in federal disaster funds and used a portion of that amount to fund her 2021 campaign, CREW President Donald K. Sherman, a former House Ethics Committee counsel, released the following statement: 

“The overwhelming evidence against Representative Cherfilus-McCormick uncovered in the Committee’s investigation is damning. The facts indicate that she used taxpayer funds meant to directly help communities affected by natural disasters for her own personal and political benefit. Even amidst the tidal wave of unethical conduct we’ve seen in the last year, this stands out. Representative Cherfilus-McCormick is of course entitled to a presumption of innocence until proven otherwise, but the public needs to be able to trust that their elected officials are acting ethically. It is time for Representative Cherfilus-McCormick to resign. Her resignation should happen as soon as possible to limit the likelihood that campaign fundraising can be used to subsidize elements of her criminal defense. Nor should additional taxpayer funds be used to hold a congressional ethics hearing that will examine similar facts arising from her pending criminal trial.”