Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick

Indicted Democrat Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick has resigned as the House Ethics Committee prepared to recommend sanctions against her on Tuesday, and Republicans stood ready to force a full House vote on her expulsion.

The Florida Democrat faces a 15-count federal indictment for allegedly stealing more than $5 million in FEMA disaster relief funds, laundering the money through her family’s healthcare company, and funneling it into her 2021 congressional campaign.

If convicted, she could spend more than 50 years in prison.

pic.twitter.com/u1lLBxfrI6

— Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (@CongresswomanSC) April 21, 2026

In a statement announcing her resignation, the disgraced Democrat said:

“This was not a fair process. The Ethics Committee refused my new attorney’s reasonable request for time to prepare my defense. By going forward with this process while a criminal indictment is pending, the Committee prevented me from defending myself. I will not stand by and pretend that this has been anything other than a witch hunt. 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 so that I can devote my time to fighting for my neighbors in Florida’s 20th district. I hereby resign from the 119th Congress, effective immediately.

But let me say this plainly: we should be very careful about the precedent we are setting. In this country, we do not punish people before due process is complete. We do not allow allegations alone to override the will of the people. That is a dangerous path, and one that should concern every American, regardless of party.

To my constituents, it has been the honor of my life fighting for you in the U.S. House of Representatives. Thank you for standing with me and fighting alongside me. This fight is far from over.”

CNN reports:

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.

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.

Speaking to Fox News, the disgraced politician previously asserted that she will not “abandon her district.”

“For those asking whether I plan to resign, the answer is no,” Cherfilus-McCormick told Fox News. “This is not the time to abandon the district, not when they, too, are fighting for their future.”

In March, a bipartisan panel found her guilty of 25 ethics violations.

According to the Department of Justice indictment filed in November, Cherfilus-McCormick and co-defendants, including her brother, allegedly received an erroneous $5 million overpayment from FEMA for COVID-19 vaccination staffing services through her family’s company, Trinity Health Care Services.

“Using disaster relief funds for self-enrichment is a particularly selfish, cynical crime,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi in a press release about the charges. “No one is above the law, least of all powerful people who rob taxpayers for personal gain. We will follow the facts in this case and deliver justice.”

Instead of returning the money, they allegedly laundered it, used it for personal benefit, and directed portions into her campaign through straw donors while filing false tax returns.

Republican Rep. Greg Steube had already filed a resolution to expel her and has vowed to force a floor vote regardless of the committee’s recommendation.

Expulsion requires a two-thirds majority, a high bar that would have still needed some Democrat support.

Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said last week she would vote to expel Cherfilus-McCormick if she does not resign.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would “follow the facts,” but the Congressional Black Caucus had so far remained largely silent.

Cherfilus-McCormick has denied all wrongdoing.

In her official statement following the indictment, she called it an “unjust, baseless, sham indictment.”

“This is an unjust, baseless, sham indictment — and I am innocent. The timing alone is curious and clearly meant to distract from far more pressing national issues. From day one, I have fully cooperated with every lawful request, and I will continue to do so until this matter is resolved,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.

“I am deeply grateful for the support of my district, and I remain confident that the truth will prevail. I look forward to my day in court. Until then, I will continue fighting for my constituents.”

Her criminal trial, originally set for this month, has been delayed until February 2027.

The post BREAKING: Indicted Democrat Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Resigns Amid House Expulsion Vote Over $5 Million FEMA Funds Scandal, EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

Credit: WLNS 6 News
YouTube Screenshot

Michigan Democrat Senate candidate Dr. Abdul El-Sayed, a Muslim and socialist, is proof that not all press is good press.

He is already under fire for openly and proudly campaigning with controversial pro-Hamas/pro-Hezbollah influencer Hasan Piker.

A campaign event last August took a dark turn when he suggested “choking out” opponents.

“We need Democrats who have the courage to stand up to the power brokers in our own party, let alone Trump and his goons,” El-Sayed said to wild applause. “We don’t back down.”

“When they go low, we don’t go high,” he added as the crowd continued to roar. “We take them to the mud and choke them out!”

Now, after comments he made on Friday targeting Vice President JD Vance’s children, he is facing online blowback.

El-Sayed appeared on “The Allen Analysis Show,” and the subject of Vance’s personal life came up.

In discussing Second Lad Usha, El-Sayed said, “What do you think is going through Usha’s head when he talks? She’s like, ‘Damn, I have to sleep with him.'”

He continued, “I guess she’s pregnant so something is happening.”

“Can you imagine, he’s got Brown kids, at some point he’s going to have a really awkward conversation with his kids, like, you made your career hating people who are different.”

“He’s got to look at his kids and be like, ‘Yeah, those are Brown kids, they’re mine,’ You know what I mean? ‘And I had Brown kids. I had Brown kids?'”

Watch:

Journalist Jonathan Turley noted, “Nothing says an age of rage like using children for racist screeds. This week, Abdul El-Sayed is in the news for attacking Vance over his ‘brown children’ and raising his sex life.”

Nothing says an age of rage like using children for racist screeds. This week, Abdul El-Sayed is in the news for attacking Vance over his “brown children” and raising his sex life. https://t.co/CxEixMtOxh The left just cannot seem to resist attacks on the conservative kinder…

— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) April 20, 2026

The post Disgusting: Michigan Senate Candidate Under Fire After Comments About Vice President Vance’s ‘Brown Children’ appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.

More than 250 journalists, including Dan Rather and Sam Donaldson, have signed an open letter demanding that the White House Correspondents’ Association turn this Saturday’s dinner into a stage for a direct, “forceful” confrontation with President Donald Trump.

The letter, sent to the WHCA on Monday, calls on the organization to use the podium at the 2026 White House Correspondents’ Dinner to deliver a “forceful defense of freedom of the press and condemnation of those who threaten that freedom, followed by a standing toast to the First Amendment.”

“Speak forcefully, in front of the man who seeks to undermine our country’s long tradition of an independent, strong, and free press,” the letter says.

The letter reads in part:

We understand that some journalists plan to wear pocket handkerchiefs or lapel pins with the words of the First Amendment. And continuing in that spirit, we believe the White House Correspondents Association should take stronger action by issuing – from the podium – a forceful defense of freedom of the press and condemnation of those who threaten that freedom, followed by a standing toast to the First Amendment and a pledge to continue upholding such a critical cornerstone of our democracy. Speak forcefully, in front of the man who seeks to undermine our country’s long tradition of an independent, strong, and free press.

We also urge the WHCA to reaffirm, without equivocation, that freedom of the press is not a partisan issue and that the Association will not normalize this behavior but instead fight back against any officeholder who has waged systematic war against the journalists whose work the dinner celebrates.

The signatories include journalism groups such as the Society of Professional Journalists, the Coalition for Women in Journalism, the National Association of Black Journalists, and the Freedom of the Press Foundation, along with dozens of individual reporters.

The letter accuses President Trump of attacking the press through defamation lawsuits against media outlets, showing favoritism toward conservative voices, actions by FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, and his decision to pardon January 6 Capitol rioters, which they claim sends the message that “attacks on the press will be forgiven.”

Former CBS anchor Dan Rather explicitly urged the Beltway press corps to “forcefully demonstrate opposition” to the president at the event.

Many journalists attending the black-tie event also plan subtler acts of protest, like wearing lapel pins or pocket handkerchiefs emblazoned with the text of the First Amendment.

President Trump is scheduled to attend the dinner. He previously boycotted the event, citing unfair treatment by the press.

In a recent Truth Social post, Trump said he is now looking forward to it and hopes it will be “something very special.”

This letter comes during a time of record-low trust in the media.

Gallup polling last year found that only 28% of Americans have a great or fair amount of trust in mass media, with even lower numbers among Republican voters.

The White House Correspondents’ Dinner is supposed to celebrate the First Amendment and journalism, yet here is a large group of so-called “objective” reporters openly plotting political theater against a sitting president they despise.

The post Over 250 Journalists Sign Letter Demanding ‘Forceful’ Protest Against Trump at White House Correspondents’ Dinner appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.