2026-03-26T08:00:54-04:00 / 福克斯新闻
一位面临五十年监禁的四面楚歌的议员将于周四在国会接受道德审判，这场审判可能导致她被逐出美国众议院。
佛罗里达州民主党众议员谢拉·切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克预计将在周四下午举行的罕见公开听证会上，向众议院道德委员会作证。此案与一项大规模联邦起诉书无关，起诉书指控切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克挪用超过500万美元的救灾资金，用于资助她2021年首次参加国会竞选以及购买包括一枚大钻戒在内的奢侈品。这位佛罗里达州民主党人还被指控参与了”稻草捐款”计划，并合谋提交虚假联邦纳税申报单。
切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克多次试图推迟听证会，理由是正在进行的联邦刑事案件以及她在3月初失去了法律代表。目前尚不清楚这位佛罗里达州民主党人是否会在听证会上有律师代表。
切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克在发给福克斯新闻的一份声明中表示，她”深感失望”两党委员会选择继续进行审判，声称这侵犯了她的正当程序权利。
“我敦促委员会遵循自身先例，维护公平，不要让这一程序被政治或数字所左右，”切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克说，”当我在法律上能够做到时，我欢迎有机会澄清事实并反驳这些不实指控。”
自2025年11月被起诉并在联邦法院不认罪后，切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克一直否认有不当行为。她多次无视共和党人要求她辞职的呼吁——这一举措本可以避免道德听证会和可能的驱逐。
根据起诉书，切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克及其兄弟埃德温·切尔菲卢斯拥有的三一医疗保健服务公司，因一份COVID-19疫苗合同从佛罗里达州获得了联邦紧急事务管理局（FEMA）的超额付款500万美元。
联邦检察官称，这对兄弟没有退还这笔钱，而是通过多个银行账户洗钱以掩盖资金来源。
众议院道德委员会公布了针对切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克的27项”指控违规陈述”，预计将在周四的听证会上提出。
听证会本身极为罕见。这将是自2010年以来，这个由8名成员组成的小组首次就一名议员举行公开听证会。
（图片说明：佛罗里达州民主党众议员谢拉·切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克被指控挪用超过500万美元的联邦紧急事务管理局资金，用于资助她的国会竞选活动和购买奢侈品，包括一枚巨型钻戒。）（肯特·西村/盖蒂图片社）
佛罗里达州共和党众议员格雷格·斯图布表示，无论审判结果如何，他都将推进一项旨在驱逐切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克的决议。根据众议院规则，需要三分之二的议员——这意味着相当一部分民主党人——投赞成票才能驱逐这位佛罗里达州民主党人。
“你现在面临的情况是，一名现任国会议员被指控挪用了超过500万美元的纳税人资金，”斯图布周二告诉记者，”她应该立即辞职，而不是经历这个过程。但她会迫使我们这么做。”
斯图布还表示，委员会可能提出的驱逐建议可能会迫使民主党人支持他的决议。
“如果委员会以两党合作的方式建议驱逐，这将使民主党核心小组处于非常艰难的境地，因为你会削弱自己在道德委员会中的成员。”
但在很大程度上一直为切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克辩护的众议院民主党领导层尚未表示在听证会结束后是否会支持驱逐决议。
切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克是上周在美国国会大厦外支持众议院少数党领袖、纽约州民主党人哈基姆·杰弗里斯的民主党人之一，当时杰弗里斯就美国国土安全部（DHS）停摆发表讲话。周二，当被福克斯新闻问及驱逐威胁时，杰弗里斯回答”下一个问题”。
“我不会预先判断他们得出的结果，”加州民主党众议员、众议院民主党会议主席皮特·阿吉拉尔周三表示，”我尊重道德委员会成员及其工作。”
（图片说明：众议院少数党领袖、纽约州民主党人哈基姆·杰弗里斯表示，被起诉的佛罗里达州民主党众议员谢拉·切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克有权被推定为无罪，到目前为止，他拒绝谴责针对她的刑事指控。）（Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images）
民主党人到目前为止拒绝谴责切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克，这引发了共和党人的尖锐批评。
“所谓的’领袖’哈基姆·杰弗里斯在腐败问题上大谈特谈，但当涉及到他自己的人时，他突然哑口无言，”全国共和党议员委员会发言人迈克·马林内拉在一份声明中说。
一些共和党人还通过将此案与前众议员、纽约州共和党人乔治·桑托斯进行比较，抱怨众议院对切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克的处理存在双重标准。这位饱受丑闻困扰的议员在2023年因道德听证会或刑事定罪前被驱逐出国会。
“乔治发生的事情就像一列失控的火车，”佛罗里达州共和党众议员拜伦·唐纳斯周三表示，”他们甚至没有给乔治一个完全通过道德审查的机会。而这一次则更为审慎。”
“我认为，从长远来看，这次听证会的进行方式应该是正确的，”唐纳斯补充道，指的是切尔菲卢斯-麦考密克听证会。”在做出这样的判断并将其提交众议院之前，应该进行审慎的审查。”
Indicted Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick faces rare House ethics hearing
2026-03-26T08:00:54-04:00 / Fox News
An embattled lawmaker facing five decades in prison will face the congressional spotlight Thursday during an ethics trial that could result in her expulsion from the House of Representatives.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is expected to testify before the House Ethics Committee during a rare public hearing Thursday afternoon. The case is separate from a sprawling federal indictment accusing Cherfilus-McCormick of stealing more than $5 million in disaster relief funds to finance her inaugural congressional run in 2021 and purchase luxury items, including a large diamond ring. The Florida Democrat is also alleged to have participated in a straw donor scheme and conspired to file a false federal tax return.
Cherfilus-McCormick has repeatedly sought to delay the hearing, citing the ongoing federal criminal case and losing her legal representation earlier in March. It is not clear whether the Florida Democrat will be represented by an attorney at the hearing.
Cherfilus McCormick said in a statement sent to Fox News that she is “deeply disappointed” the bipartisan committee chose to proceed with a trial, alleging a violation of her due process rights.
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., will testify in a high-profile ethics hearing Thursday that could result in her expulsion from Congress.(J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
“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 after being indicted in November 2025 and pleaded not guilty in federal court. She has repeatedly defied calls from Republicans to resign — a move that would have avoided the ethics hearing and possible expulsion.
According to the indictment, Trinity Health Care Services, a company owned by Cherfilus-McCormick and her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, received $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) overpayment from the state of Florida for a COVID-19 vaccine contract.
Rather than return the money, federal prosecutors allege the duo laundered it through multiple bank accounts to hide its origin.
The House Ethics Committee unveiled a 27-count “statement of alleged violations” against Cherfilus-McCormick that is expected to be presented during the hearing Thursday.
The hearing itself is extremely rare. It will be the first time the eight-member panel will hold a public hearing against a lawmaker since 2010.
节点运行失败
Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is accused of stealing more than $5 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to finance her congressional campaign and acquire luxury personal items, including a massive diamond ring.(Kent Nishimura/Getty Images)
Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., has said he would move forward with a resolution seeking to expel Cherfilus-McCormick regardless of the trial’s outcome. Under House rules, two-thirds of lawmakers — meaning a swath of Democrats — would need to vote in the affirmative to expel the Florida Democrat.
“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 also said a possible recommendation of expulsion from the committee could force Democrats to support his resolution.
“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.”
But House Democratic leadership, who have largely defended Cherfilus-McCormick, has yet to say whether they would support an expulsion resolution following the hearing’s conclusion.
Cherfilus-McCormick was among a group of Democrats who stood behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., when he gave remarks on the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown outside the U.S. Capitol last week. He responded, “next question,” when asked by Fox News about the expulsion threat on Tuesday.
“I’m not going to prejudge the outcome that they arrive to,” House Democratic Conference Chairman Pete Aguilar, D-Calif., said Wednesday. “I respect the members of the ethics committee and the work that they have to do.”
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., has said Cherfilus-McCormick has said indicted Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., is entitled to the presumption of innocence and has so far refused to condemn the criminal allegations against her.(Tierney L. Cross/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Democrats’ refusal so far to condemn Cherfilus-McCormick has prompted sharp criticism from Republicans.
“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 complained about a double standard with the chamber’s treatment of Cherfilus-McCormick by making comparisons to former Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y. The scandal-plagued lawmaker was expelled from Congress in 2023 before an ethics hearing or criminal conviction.
“It seems like what happened to George was just like a runaway freight train up here,” Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., 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, referring to the anticipated Cherfilus-McCormick hearing. “It should be deliberate before these kind of judgments just end up on the House floor.”