Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick Faces House Ethics Committee Sanctions Hearing

[10:47] It is addressed to the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the House. [26:12] The letter reads, Dear Mr. Speaker, I hereby resign my office from the 119th Congress as representative from Florida's 20th Congressional District, effective Tuesday, April 21st, 2026, 1.30 p.m. [26:29] It has been an honor of my lifetime to serve the people of my district, and I remain proud of the work we have accomplished on behalf of our communities. [26:38] After careful reflection and prayer, I have concluded that it is in my best interest and the interest of my constituents and the institution that I set aside at this time. [26:48] I remain committed to supporting a smooth transition and ensuring a continuity of service for the district. [26:56] Signed, Sincerely, Sheila Shariflis McCormick, Member of Congress. [27:02] In light of Ms. McCormick's resignation earlier today, the Committee on Ethics has now lost jurisdiction in this matter. [27:14] There will not be a sanctions hearing. [27:17] I would like to thank the committee staff who are with us today for their two and a half years of hard work in this matter. [27:29] I will tell you that the committee has worked diligently to investigate this matter, that this was not a rush to judgment, as some would claim, [27:40] that this was a very deliberate process to gather information into allegations that were extremely serious and extremely complicated. [27:53] There were multiple witnesses that were spoken to over a two-year period. [27:59] There were tens of thousands of documents that were subpoenaed, gathered, and reviewed. [28:06] And throughout this process, Ms. McCormick, who has now resigned from Congress, had multiple ample opportunities to present exculpatory evidence to the committee [28:18] and to address the committee both by way of a voluntary statement and then also to comply with the subpoena that was issued in this case. [28:29] So I would like to thank the staff. [28:32] I would like to thank the investigative subcommittee that worked so hard on this matter. [28:38] Before we conclude, I would like to recognize the ranking member for any statements that he may have. [28:45] Mr. Chairman, I just want to agree with everything you've just said, and I'm proud to be associated with this committee. [28:52] Nobody's happy. [28:53] I don't think any of us are happy at what we've gone through. [28:57] But I am extremely proud of being associated with all of you, and I'm grateful for the hard work and the diligence of the staff. [29:03] Thank you, Mr. Chairman. [29:04] With that, in light of the resignation of Ms. McCormick, and now that this committee has now lost jurisdiction, this hearing is now adjourned. [29:15] Tom did say that...