Democratic Florida Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick pulled the race card Thursday when pressed about the federal indictment hanging over her reelection bid.
A federal grand jury indicted Cherfilus-McCormick on Wednesday of allegedly diverting millions in disaster aid and using the money to help fuel her 2021 congressional campaign. In an interview with reporters, Cherfilus-McCormick said Congress has embraced “intimidation tactics” to distract from unrelated political controversies.
“Well, it’s an unjust indictment, and it seems like these intimidation tactics have been pervasive. We spent all week seeing different members getting censured, all in hopes of intimidating and kind of distracting from the Epstein files. And I look forward to my day in court so I can prove myself and actually state the truth,” Cherfilus-McCormick said. “But if this is what Congress is becoming, where they’re always trying to intimidate you, scare tactics, especially attacking minorities, black and brown people, then we’re going to have to keep fighting for the district.”
Claims that the Trump administration is trying to distract from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal fall flat now that President Donald Trump signed the law mandating full disclosure of the Epstein files. Newly released files also tie several high-profile Democrats to Epstein, including messages showing Democratic Virgin Islands Del. Stacey Plaskett exchanged texts with the disgraced sex offender during Michael Cohen’s 2019 testimony.
Cherfilus-McCormick said she looks forward to fighting the charges in court.
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“They didn’t elect me. It was my district. And so we’ll keep fighting for the people and keep working like we’re doing now until they get what they need. So we’re here for the people. So the only people who elected me should have to make that decision,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.
Federal prosecutors said Cherfilus-McCormick and her co-defendants allegedly stole $5 million in FEMA overpayments from her family business and spent the money on personal expenses and her 2021 congressional campaign. A federal grand jury in Miami returned the indictment. (RELATED: Democratic Rep Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Indicted Over ‘Stealing’ FEMA Funds)
Cherfilus-McCormick now faces possible expulsion from the House. Republican Florida Rep. Greg Steube said he planned to introduce a censure motion Thursday but later announced he would “skip censure and move straight to expulsion” after reviewing the indictment, which carries a potential 53-year prison sentence.
“Cherfilus-McCormick needs to be swiftly removed from the House before she can inflict any more harm on Congress, her district, and the State of Florida,” Steube wrote in a Thursday morning X post. “I’ll be filing the resolution today. If she refuses to resign and save Congress the embarrassment of having to expel her, I will bring this resolution to the floor for a vote.”
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