Jesse Scheckner
More than a year after it opened an investigation into whether U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick broke campaign finance laws and other regulations in 2022, the House Ethics Committee is continuing the inquiry into her potential wrongdoing.
The Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC), which falls under the Ethics Committee, voted this month to adopt a report on the probe and its findings to the House Ethics Committee, along with recommendations for next steps.
The Ethics Committee made clear that the report on its own does not imply any violation has occurred.
Cherfilus-McCormick “may have accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action,” the OCC Board said. And if she did, “she may have violated House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law.”
In January 2024, the House Committee on Ethics announced plans to investigate Cherfilus-McCormick, a Tamarac Democrat who won a Special Election for Florida’s 20th Congressional District two years earlier, for alleged violations during that race and a subsequent re-election campaign.
That included possible campaign finance violations, a failure to properly file disclosures with the House and accepting voluntary service for official work from an individual not employed in her congressional office.
In June 2024, the Ethics Committee said it was expanding its inquiry to examine whether Cherfilus-McCormick acted improperly in connection with community project funding requests, misused official funds for campaign purposes and/or violated campaign finance laws and regulations in connection with her 2024 re-election campaign.
Cherfilus-McCormick has maintained that she did no wrong and downplayed the significance of the probe’s expansion. Her Office said last year that she took the matter “very seriously” and would cooperate with the investigation.
In its May 22 report, the OCC Board said it found “substantial reason to believe” Cherfilus-McCormick sought community project funding directed to a for-profit entity, which may violate House rules. The Board also determined there is probable cause to believe she accepted campaign contributions linked to official actions, potentially breaching both House standards and federal law.
Further, the OCC found “substantial reason” to conclude Cherfilus-McCormick made improper payments to an entity or that her campaign accepted and failed to report in-kind contributions that may have exceeded legal limits. Those actions, if verified, would also violate House and federal campaign finance rules.
However, the Board recommended dismissal of two allegations. It found no substantial reason to believe Cherfilus-McCormick granted special favors to friends through her Office’s community project funding requests. Similarly, the Board dismissed claims that her campaign misreported contributions or accepted donations made in another person’s name.
House Ethics Committee Chair Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican, and Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier, a California Democrat, confirmed receipt of the report Thursday.
Publishing the report was mandatory for the Ethics Committee under House rules requiring public disclosure if an investigative subcommittee does not conclude its review within one year of referral.
