Florida Congresswoman Resigns Amid Ethics Scandal

0:00It's April 21st. This is U.S. News Today, AI-powered stories from across the country. Florida Congresswoman Sheila Fercilis, Anne McCormick, a Democrat, stepped down Tuesday just as the House Ethics Committee was about to recommend. Punishment. They nailed her for 25 violations of House rules straight up breaking campaign finance laws and ethical standards. She's also staring down federal charges for pocketing $5 million in COVID relief funds meant for her family's health care business. Prosecutors say she funneled that cash through relatives and companies to bankroll her 2022 campaign, even splurging on luxury, like a three-carat diamond ring. She fired back calling the ethics probe unfair, pleaded not guilty to everything and skipped testifying by invoking her fifth amendment rights. Republicans push hard for expulsion while her district supporters begged the committee to go easy, warning it'd leave hundreds of thousands without. A voice in a critical time for Florida, that two-year investigation was massive,

1:04firing off 59 subpoenas, grilling 28 witnesses, and sifting 33,000 pages of docs. It echoes recent scandals where two other reps bailed amid their own ethics heat over misconduct. House leaders rarely go for expulsion, needing two-thirds support, but with her exit, the focus shifts to voter accountability and whether this wave of probes will clean up Congress for good.