2026-04-21T18:02:01.311Z / 美国有线电视新闻网（CNN）
作者：安妮·格雷尔、莎拉·费里斯
更新于12分钟前
更新时间：2026年4月21日美国东部时间下午3:19
发布时间：2026年4月21日美国东部时间下午2:02
内森·霍华德/路透社/资料图
身陷困境的联邦众议员希拉·谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米克于周二辞去美国众议院议员职务，这一举措避免了一场事关重大的投票——表决是否应将她逐出国会。
这位佛罗里达州民主党议员宣布辞职之际，距众议院两党道德委员会即将审议对她的处罚仅几分钟之遥。此前该委员会已认定她存在多项违反道德规范的行为，包括指控她窃取数百万美元疫情救助资金，并将其用于助力2021年的竞选活动。
倘若谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米克没有辞职，她几乎肯定会在本周晚些时候面临众议院全院的罢免投票。负责监督议员行为的道德委员会周二共有六种制裁措施可供选择，其中包括将其逐出众议院——此前该委员会仅四次建议过这一处罚。
这位佛罗里达州民主党议员在社交媒体发布的声明中坚称自己无罪，并谴责所谓的针对她的“政治迫害”。
“我绝不能坐视不管，任由我的正当法律程序权利遭到践踏，我的名誉被玷污。与其参与这些政治把戏，我选择抽身而退，”她写道。
就在道德委员会宣布正式确定建议处罚措施的听证会开始后不久，众议院书记员将谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米克的辞职声明正式记入议事记录。
“经过深思熟虑和祈祷，我认为在此时卸任符合我的选区选民和整个国会机构的最佳利益，”她在辞职信中写道。
众议院道德委员会主席迈克尔·格斯特指出，鉴于该议员已经辞职，委员会已丧失管辖权，将不再考虑对其实施制裁。
上个月，该委员会认定谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米克多项罪名成立，包括未能遵守联邦选举委员会的规定以及违反《政府服务道德准则》。在作出有罪裁决的前一天，谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米克罕见地出席了公开听证会，就她窃取500万美元联邦救灾资金并将其用于众议院竞选的指控进行答辩。
在调查过程中，该委员会表示，共发出30份信息请求、59份传票、对28名证人进行了访谈，并审查了超过3.3万页文件。
谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米克的律师谴责了国会的调查，称该委员会将这位面临单独联邦刑事指控的议员置于了不公平的境地。
“我认为这非常令人痛心。道德委员会将她置于了极其糟糕的处境。这不是一个公平的程序。她在佛罗里达南区联邦法院有一起未决的刑事案件，她无法为自己辩护，”律师威廉·巴齐说道。
“我没有得到任何时间来准备辩护，她别无选择。她要么任由他们践踏她的宪法权利和正当法律程序权利，要么避免这种情况发生，于是她决定离开，我完全支持这个决定，”他补充道。
2025年11月，谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米因窃取联邦救灾资金遭到起诉。这位议员对这些指控拒不认罪。
这位民主党议员的离职是过去7天内第三位宣布辞职的众议院议员。
前众议员、加利福尼亚州民主党议员埃里克·斯瓦尔韦尔和德克萨斯州共和党议员托尼·冈萨雷斯上周因针对他们的一系列爆炸性指控以及面临罢免投票的威胁而辞职。
这些议员的辞职尤其让议员们陷入思考，该如何更好地自我监管，并促使两党愿意将议员逐出国会——这是一种极为罕见的情况。
佛罗里达州共和党众议员格雷格·斯特乌此前告诉CNN，他计划在委员会完成调查后不久提出一项罢免谢丽尔菲勒斯-麦科米克的决议案。
众议院少数党领袖哈基姆·杰弗里斯尚未表明他是否会投票罢免本党议员。但近期多名民主党人士告诉CNN，他们预计杰弗里斯和民主党领导层会投票支持罢免，因为该党正以反腐为竞选口号，争取在今年11月夺回众议院多数席位。
尽管这位民主党议员已经辞职，众议院议长迈克·约翰逊仍面临极其紧张的投票优势，在党派立场投票中仅能容忍两名共和党议员倒戈，仍可确保法案通过。
道德委员会目前仍在调查共和党众议员科里·米尔斯，指控包括性行为不端和竞选财务违规。米尔斯否认存在不当行为。
本文已更新补充更多细节。
美国有线电视新闻网记者埃利斯·金对本文亦有贡献。
Florida Democrat resigns from Congress minutes before House ethics panel was set to weigh her expulsion
2026-04-21T18:02:01.311Z / CNN
By Annie Grayer, Sarah Ferris
Updated 12 min ago
Updated Apr 21, 2026, 3:19 PM ET
PUBLISHED Apr 21, 2026, 2:02 PM ET
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick appears for a hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Capitol Hill, on March 26, 2026.
Nathan Howard/Reuters/File
Embattled Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from the US House of Representatives Tuesday, a move that staved off a high-stakes vote on whether she should be forced out Congress.
The Florida Democrat’s decision to step down came just moments before the chamber’s bipartisan Ethics Committee was set to consider her punishment after previously finding her guilty of a slew of ethics violations, including accusations that she stole millions in pandemic relief funds and used it to bolster her 2021 campaign.
If Cherfilus-McCormick had not resigned, she would have almost certainly faced an expulsion vote later this week on the House floor. The ethics panel, which oversees members’ conduct, had six types of sanctions at its disposal Tuesday, including expulsion from the House – a punishment only recommended four times before.
In a statement posted to social media, the Florida Democrat maintained her innocence and denounced what she described as a “witch hunt” against her.
“I simply cannot stand by and allow my due process rights to be trampled on, and my good name to be tarnished. Rather than play these political games, I choose to step away,” she wrote.
Within moments of the ethics panel gaveling in to formally determine its recommended punishment, the House clerk read Cherfilus-McCormick’s resignation into the record.
“After careful reflection and prayer, I’ve concluded that it is in the best interest of my constituents and the institution that I step aside at this time,” she wrote in her resignation letter.
House Ethics Chairman Michael Guest noted that given the congresswoman had stepped down, the committee had lost its jurisdiction and would no longer consider sanctions against her.
Last month, the committee found the congresswoman guilty on multiple counts of failing to comply with Federal Election Commission regulations and uphold the Code of Ethics for Government Service. It delivered the guilty verdict a day after Cherfilus-McCormick appeared for a rare public hearing to face the allegations she stole $5 million in federal disaster funds and used it to bolster her campaign for the House.
Over the course of its investigation, the panel said it sent 30 requests for information, issued 59 subpoenas, conducted 28 witness interviews and reviewed over 33,000 pages of documents.
Cherfilus-McCormick’s attorney decried the congressional investigation, arguing that the panel had put the congresswoman – who faces separate federal criminal charges – in an unfair position.
“I think it’s, it’s very sad. She was put in an absolutely terrible position by the Ethics Committee. This was not a fair process. She has a pending criminal case down in the Southern District of Florida. She wasn’t able to defend herself,” attorney William Barzee said.
“I wasn’t given any time in order to prepare a defense, and she was left with no choice. She could go along and allow them to just trample her constitutional rights and her due process rights. And instead of allowing that to happen, she decided to step away, and I support that decision 100%,” he continued.
In November 2025, Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted on charges of stealing federal disaster funds. The congresswoman has pleaded not guilty to those charges.
The Democrat’s departure marks the third resignation from the House in the last seven days.
Then-Reps. Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat, and Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, resigned last week amid a torrent of explosive allegations against them and the threat of expulsion votes.
Those departures in particular have left lawmakers grappling with how to better police their own and prompted a bipartisan willingness to expel members from Congress – a rare occurrence.
GOP Rep. Greg Steube of Florida previously told CNN he planned to introduce an expulsion resolution against Cherfilus-McCormick shortly after the panel concluded its work.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries had not said whether he would have voted to expel his own member. But multiple Democrats told CNN in recent days that they expected Jeffries and party leadership to vote in favor of expulsion, as the party campaigns to take back the House this November on an anti-corruption message.
Despite the Democrat’s resignation, House Speaker Mike Johnson still faces an extremely tight margin and can afford just two GOP defections on party-line votes and still pass legislation.
The ethics panel is still conducting an investigation into GOP Rep. Cory Mills for allegations that include sexual misconduct and campaign finance infractions. Mills has denied wrongdoing.
This story has been updated with additional details.
CNN’s Ellis Kim contributed to this report.
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