Democrats prepare to abandon Cherfilus-McCormick en masse
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Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick attends a House Ethics Committee hearing at the U.S. Capitol complex on March 26. Photo: Andrew Harnik/Getty Images
Many House Democrats are ready to vote to expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) from Congress as soon as the House Ethics Committee meets to decide her fate on Tuesday, Axios has found in interviews with over 30 lawmakers.
Why it matters: Republicans are expected to force an expulsion vote, but they will need roughly 80 Democratic votes to remove Cherfilus-McCormick.
- House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has carefully avoided saying how he might advise his members to vote, even if the committee reaches a bipartisan decision that she should be expelled.
- House Democrats will meet as a caucus following the Ethics hearing, he told reporters on Monday, and "follow the facts and apply the relevant law without fear or favor."
- Cherfilus-McCormick, who is accused of laundering $5 million in COVID relief funds and funneling it to her campaign, has denied wrongdoing and pleaded not guilty in her criminal trial.
What they're saying: "The charges and examination are incredibly, incredibly serious and I think we have to hold ourselves to high standards here in the Congress," Rep. Angie Craig (D-Minn.) told Axios.
- "We need to make sure we can tell the American people that they can trust in their lawmakers," said Rep. Eric Sorensen (D-Ill.).
- Reps. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.), Julie Johnson (D-Texas), John Larson (D-Conn.), Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.) and Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) all told Axios they expect to vote for expulsion if that is what the Ethics Committee recommends.
- "I'm going to take their recommendation very seriously," said Rep. Jared Golden (D-Maine).
- Rep. Johnny Olszewski (D-Md.) went one step further, telling Axios expulsion is "something we should take a look at seriously even if it's not" what the committee recommends.
Between the lines: Lawmakers widely expect Ethics to recommend expulsion and, granted anonymity to speak candidly about internal caucus dynamics, said it may not even matter even if party leadership gets on board.
- "Even if they don't, there are still going to be enough votes," one senior House Democrat told Axios.
- Another said there is "an appetite for" expulsion, adding, "Maybe that's because we're so pathetic and unproductive and we need something to do, or maybe it's because the behavior seems to keep getting worse. Either way I'm ready to go."
- A third House Democrat told Axios: "Nowadays with the politics the way they are, you're going to see Democrats probably vote in favor."
The intrigue: It may not even come to that, some lawmakers predicted. Expulsion is extremely rare because members of Congress often resign if it is clear they will be pushed out anyway.
- Several House Democrats told Axios they expect Jeffries to privately nudge Cherfilus-McCormick to go of her own accord rather than force Democrats to take a difficult vote.
- "That's what Nancy [Pelosi] used to do, so I would imagine that he would probably want to do the same thing," a fourth House Democrat told Axios.
- Said a fifth: "If you know you're going, why put yourself through that? And that's what Swalwell and Gonzales did."
The bottom line: "One way or another that's going to resolve itself," said Rep. John Mannion (D-N.Y.), "and probably fairly soon."
