Florida Democratic Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from Congress on Tuesday, doing so just 20 minutes before the House was scheduled to vote on expelling her. The resignation short-circuited the expulsion proceeding, which had been triggered by an ethics investigation into alleged financial crimes.
The New York Times, CNN, Politico, and The Washington Post all reported the resignation, with Politico noting it came specifically amid the ethics investigation. Few members of Congress have faced expulsion votes in the modern era, making the episode unusual regardless of how it ended.
Cherfilus-McCormick had represented Florida's 20th congressional district, a heavily Democratic seat that includes parts of Broward County. Her departure leaves the seat vacant and will require a special election to fill it.
The resignation also arrived on the same day Republican Representative Nancy Mace introduced a separate measure to expel fellow Republican Cory Mills from Congress, according to NBC News, suggesting the House is managing more than one member conduct dispute simultaneously.
