Latest news with #OfficeofCongressionalConduct
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Report alleges Cherfilus-McCormick may have accepted campaign contributions ‘linked to an official action'
An official report outlining potential ethics violations by U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, D-Fla., said there was probable cause to believe that she 'accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action.' If proven, the allegation contained in a document released Thursday by the House Ethics Committee could be a violation of House rules, standards of conduct and federal law. The Office of Congressional Conduct determined in May 2024 that the matter warranted review by the Congressional Ethics Committee, which said it has been reviewing the allegation for the last year. The official document provided no details, just a total of three sentences in two different places. It was one of five alleged violations. The board of the Office of Congressional Conduct recommended further review of three and dismissal of two. The document was released one year after the conduct office, which reviews allegations of misconduct against members, referred the case to the committee, which investigates and adjudicates alleged violations of House rules and related laws. In a joint statement accompanying the release of the referral, the Republican chair and top Democrat on the Ethics Committee said that 'the mere fact of a continued investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.' For the three violations it said warranted further investigation, the congressional conduct office said Cherfilus-McCormick 'may have' taken actions that, if substantiated, mean 'she may have violated House rules and standards of conduct.' For two of the allegations, it said violations may have violated federal law. Besides the allegation about 'campaign contributions linked to an official action,' the office said she may have requested community project funding that would be directed to a for-profit entity. It also said her congressional office may have 'made payments to an entity in violation of' the rules or 'alternatively, that her campaign may have accepted and failed to report in-kind (campaign) contributions that may have exceeded applicable limits.' In each of the three allegations, the conduct office's board voted 6-0 to recommend further review by the Ethics Committee. The board voted 5-1 to recommend dismissal of the allegation that she 'may have dispensed favors or privileges to friends' in connection with official requests for community project funding. It voted 6-0 to recommend dismissal of an allegation that her campaign misrepresented the source of a campaign contribution or accepted a contribution made by one person in the name of another. In both dismissal recommendations, the board found there was 'not substantial reason to believe' the allegations. In a statement provided by her communications director, Cherfilus-McCormick said, 'The Committee on Ethics has not yet concluded its review of the allegations, and no decision has been made at this time. As outlined in the Committee's public statement, the referral for further review does not imply that any violation has occurred. I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close.' In 2023, the Ethics Committee received an earlier referral. A limited summary was released in 2024 — similar to the one put out Thursday. In January, 576 pages of materials were released. In the earlier case, which has not been publicly resolved, the Office of Congressional Conduct said there was 'substantial reason to believe' four allegations including that she 'made payments to a state political action committee in connection with her campaign and failed to report these payments as contributions to her campaign' and that her campaign campaign committee 'accepted and failed to report contributions exceeding contribution limits.' Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected in a January 2022 special election in the Broward-Palm Beach county 20th Congressional District. A Democrat, she was elected to a full term in November 2022. No Democratic primary challenger or Republican general election challenger came forward to run against Cherfilus-McCormick in 2024, making her the only one of Florida's 28 members of Congress returned to office without facing a primary or general election. A young Democratic activist, Elijah Manley, who has run unsuccessfully for office before, is challenging Cherfilus-McCormick in the 2026 Democratic primary. 'The people of Florida are sick and tired of political corruption, ethical scandals, and the legal maneuvers the wealthy and powerful use to escape accountability,' Manley said in a statement, adding that in his view the information released by the Ethics Committee shows the incumbent's 'inability to serve the people of Florida's 20th District with honesty and transparency.' Congressional ethics investigations move slowly, and the system is byzantine to outsiders. The Office of Congressional Conduct has its own staff and is governed by a bipartisan board of private citizens who aren't members of Congress and don't work for the federal government. Half the members are chosen by the House speaker and half by the minority party leader. Currently there are only four members instead of the six members and four alternates. Another change: Until January, it was called the Office of Congressional Ethics. This year 'conduct' was substituted for 'ethics' in the name. The House Ethics Committee includes equal numbers of Republican and Democratic members, which is unusual. The majority party has a majority of spots on all other committees. The panel conducts its business behind closed doors and is circumspect about its activities. The joint statement Thursday from U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican and committee chair, and U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier of California, the top Democrat on the panel, was the usual, brief format, totaling four paragraphs. 'No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules,' Guest and DeSaulnier said. In cases — such as this one — in which the committee hasn't finished its investigation within a year receiving a referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct, House rules require the release of the referral. The referral contains some details, but the supporting materials the committee gets at the same time, which can be voluminous, aren't included. Two pages were released Thursday, but pages 3 to 17 were not. If there has been no resolution of the investigation and at least one year has passed, all the supporting documents are publicly released at the end of the two-year session of Congress. In this case, that would be January 2027. Currently the matter is in the hands of an investigative subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, which is still considering the earlier ethics referral. Separately, a lawsuit involving Cherfilus-McCormick's former company, Trinity Health Care Services, has been settled. In December, the Florida Division of Emergency Management sued Trinity to recover what it said was $5.8 million in overpayments. Before she was elected to Congress, Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of the family-owned company. The case involved the company, not Cherfilus-McCormick. Her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, is vice president of operations, according to his LinkedIn page. In 2021, the emergency management agency hired Trinity to administer COVID-19 vaccinations and employ canvassers to sign people up to get vaccinated. In its lawsuit, the state said that on June 28, 2021, the emergency management division sent Trinity an 'overpayment of $5,057,050.00' instead of the $50,578.50 it actually owed 'due to a clerical error.' It later discovered 'several' additional overpayments, totaling $5.78 million. The Leon County Circuit Clerk's Office website shows the case is closed. The most recent filing, from an attorney representing the Division of Emergency Management, said there was 'an executed settlement agreement in the matter,' and that both the state agency and Trinity Healthcare Services would each pay their own attorneys' fees. Trinity did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement, and it agreed to repay $5.62 million. Though the total repayment is almost as much as the state wanted, it is effectively much less because it is being repaid over many years without interest. Under the terms of the settlement Trinity agreed to pay $25,000 in April and $15,000 in May. Starting in 2026, the company agreed to repay $92,910.99 each quarter, which works out to $371,644 a year. The repayments last 15 years, which means the final payment would be made in the fourth quarter of 2040. _____
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Official report alleges Cherfilus-McCormick may have accepted campaign contributions ‘linked to an official action'
An official report outlining potential ethics violations by U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick said there was probable cause to believe that she 'accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action.' If proven, the allegation contained in a document released Thursday by the House Ethics Committee could be a violation of House rules, standards of conduct and federal law. The Office of Congressional Conduct determined in May 2024 that the matter warranted review by the Congressional Ethics Committee, which said it has been reviewing the allegation for the last year. The official document provided no details, just a total of three sentences in two different places. It was one of five alleged violations. The board of the Office of Congressional Conduct recommended further review of three and dismissal of two. The document was released one year after the conduct office, which reviews allegations of misconduct against members, referred the case to the committee, which investigates and adjudicates alleged violations of House rules and related laws. In a joint statement accompanying the release of the referral, the Republican chair and top Democrat on the Ethics Committee said that 'the mere fact of a continued investigation into these allegations does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.' For the three violations it said warranted further investigation, the congressional conduct office said Cherfilus-McCormick 'may have' taken actions that, if substantiated, mean 'she may have violated House rules and standards of conduct.' For two of the allegations, it said violations may have violated federal law. Besides the allegation about 'campaign contributions linked to an official action,' the office said she may have requested community project funding that would be directed to a for-profit entity. It also said her congressional office may have 'made payments to an entity in violation of' the rules or 'alternatively, that her campaign may have accepted and failed to report in-kind (campaign) contributions that may have exceeded applicable limits.' In each of the three allegations, the conduct office's board voted 6-0 to recommend further review by the Ethics Committee. The board voted 5-1 to recommend dismissal of the allegation that she 'may have dispensed favors or privileges to friends' in connection with official requests for community project funding. It voted 6-0 to recommend dismissal of an allegation that her campaign misrepresented the source of a campaign contribution or accepted a contribution made by one person in the name of another. In both dismissal recommendations, the board found there was 'not substantial reason to believe' the allegations. In a statement provided by her communications director, Cherfilus-McCormick said, 'The Committee on Ethics has not yet concluded its review of the allegations, and no decision has been made at this time. As outlined in the Committee's public statement, the referral for further review does not imply that any violation has occurred. I fully respect the process and remain committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close.' In 2023, the Ethics Committee received an earlier referral. A limited summary was released in 2024 — similar to the one put out Thursday. In January, 576 pages of materials were released. In the earlier case, which has not been publicly resolved, the Office of Congressional Conduct said there was 'substantial reason to believe' four allegations including that she 'made payments to a state political action committee in connection with her campaign and failed to report these payments as contributions to her campaign' and that her campaign campaign committee 'accepted and failed to report contributions exceeding contribution limits.' Challenger raises 18 times as much campaign money as Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick ICE pushes back, says congresswomen arrived at Broward facility with 'hostile intentions' Seeking answers about death at Broward ICE center, congresswomen say they encounter 'hostility and evasiveness' As many Congress members avoid anger-filled town halls, a few still take place Health care company says it didn't refuse to return $5.8 million demanded by state Ethics report details allegations of campaign violations by Cherfilus-McCormick Cherfilus-McCormick was first elected in a January 2022 special election in the Broward-Palm Beach county 20th Congressional District. A Democrat, she was elected to a full term in November 2022. No Democratic primary challenger or Republican general election challenger came forward to run against Cherfilus-McCormick in 2024, making her the only one of Florida's 28 members of Congress returned to office without facing a primary or general election. A young Democratic activist, Elijah Manley, who has run unsuccessfully for office before, is challenging Cherfilus-McCormick in the 2026 Democratic primary. 'The people of Florida are sick and tired of political corruption, ethical scandals, and the legal maneuvers the wealthy and powerful use to escape accountability,' Manley said in a statement, adding that in his view the information released by the Ethics Committee shows the incumbent's 'inability to serve the people of Florida's 20th District with honesty and transparency.' Congressional ethics investigations move slowly and the system is byzantine to outsiders. The Office of Congressional Conduct has its own staff and is governed by a bipartisan board of private citizens who aren't members of Congress and don't work for the federal government. Half the members are chosen by the House speaker and half by the minority party leader. Currently there are only four members instead of the six members and four alternates. Another change: Until January, it was called the Office of Congressional Ethics. This year 'conduct' was substituted for 'ethics' in the name. The House Ethics Committee includes equal numbers of Republican and Democratic members, which is unusual. The majority party has a majority of spots on all other committees. The panel conducts its business behind closed doors and is circumspect about its activities. The joint statement Thursday from U.S. Rep. Michael Guest, a Mississippi Republican and committee chair, and U.S. Rep. Mark DeSaulnier of California, the top Democrat on the panel, was the usual, brief format, totaling four paragraphs. 'No other public comment will be made on this matter except in accordance with Committee rules,' Guest and DeSaulnier said. In cases — such as this one — in which the committee hasn't finished its investigation within a year receiving a referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct, House rules require the release of the referral. The referral contains some details, but the supporting materials the committee gets at the same time, which can be voluminous, aren't included. Two pages were released Thursday, but pages 3 to 17 were not. If there has been no resolution of the investigation and at least one year has passed, all the supporting documents are publicly released at the end of the two-year session of Congress. In this case, that would be January 2027. Currently the matter is in the hands of an investigative subcommittee of the Ethics Committee, which is still considering the earlier ethics referral. Separately, a lawsuit involving Cherfilus-McCormick's former company, Trinity Health Care Services, has been settled. In December, the Florida Division of Emergency Management sued Trinity to recover what it said was $5.8 million in overpayments. Before she was elected to Congress, Cherfilus-McCormick was the CEO of the family-owned company. The case involved the company, not Cherfilus-McCormick. Her brother, Edwin Cherfilus, is vice president of operations, according to his LinkedIn page. In 2021, the emergency management agency hired Trinity to administer COVID-19 vaccinations and employ canvassers to sign people up to get vaccinated. In its lawsuit, the state said that on June 28, 2021, the emergency management division sent Trinity an 'overpayment of $5,057,050.00' instead of the $50,578.50 it actually owed 'due to a clerical error.' It later discovered 'several' additional overpayments, totaling $5.78 million. The Leon County Circuit Clerk's Office website shows the case is closed. The most recent filing, from an attorney representing the Division of Emergency Management, said there was 'an executed settlement agreement in the matter,' and that both the state agency and Trinity Healthcare Services would each pay their own attorneys' fees. Trinity did not admit any wrongdoing in the settlement, and it agreed to repay $5.62 million. Though the total repayment is almost as much as the state wanted, it is effectively much less because it is being repaid over many years without interest. Under the terms of the settlement Trinity agreed to pay $25,000 in April and $15,000 in May. Starting in 2026, the company agreed to repay $92,910.99 each quarter, which works out to $371,644 a year. The repayments last 15 years, which means the final payment would be made in the fourth quarter of 2040. Anthony Man can be reached at aman@ and can be found @browardpolitics on Bluesky, Threads, Facebook and Mastodon.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Watchdog links Florida Dem to more potential House rules violations
A congressional watchdog office has found reason to believe that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick requested community project funding, also known as earmarks, on behalf of a for-profit entity — a potential violation of House rules. The findings of a new report made public Thursday by the Office of Congressional Conduct — which reviews outside ethics complaints against House members and recommends further action to the House Ethics Committee — builds on the allegations the Florida Democrat has been facing since 2023. In addition to investigating a litany of campaign finance allegations against the lawmaker, the OCC has now revealed that Cherfilus-McCormick may also have accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action and failed to report in-kind payments. The OCC board also said in the report released Thursday it voted unanimously to recommend the Ethics panel take further official action. Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement she "fully respect[ed] the process and remain[ed] committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close." "The Committee on Ethics has not yet concluded its review of the allegations, and no decision has been made at this time," she continued, adding, "the referral for further review does not imply that any violation has occurred." The OCC did not release details about the community project for which Cherfilus-McCormick might have improperly sought funding, though for fiscal year 2023 Cherfilus-McCormick had requested funding forthe Salvation Army; Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami; a first-time homebuyers program for the City of Tamarac; and MorseLife Health System of West Palm Beach, among other projects. The report the Ethics Committee released in the previous Congress, which also originated in the OCC, found 'substantial reason to believe that Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick made payments to a state political action committee in connection with her campaign and failed to report these payments as contributions to her campaign.' The watchdog also found reason at that time to believe that someone not employed by Cherfilus-McCormick's official office conducted official work on her behalf; that her campaign did not report contributions it received that were greater than the federal limits; and that her campaign did not report transactions between the campaign account and the congresswoman's business accounts. This investigation is still under the review of an investigative subcommittee convened to probe the existing allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick, but the OCC board announced Thursday it had voted to dismiss allegations that Cherfilus-McCormick granted favors in exchange for receiving earmark funding or misreported the source of certain campaign contributions.
Politico
29-05-2025
- Politics
- Politico
Watchdog links Florida Dem to more potential House rules violations
A congressional watchdog office has found reason to believe that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick requested community project funding, also known as earmarks, on behalf of a for-profit entity — a potential violation of House rules. The findings of a new report made public Thursday by the Office of Congressional Conduct — which reviews outside ethics complaints against House members and recommends further action to the House Ethics Committee — builds on the allegations the Florida Democrat has been facing since 2023. In addition to investigating a litany of campaign finance allegations against the lawmaker, the OCC has now revealed that Cherfilus-McCormick may also have accepted campaign contributions linked to an official action and failed to report in-kind payments. The OCC board also said in the report released Thursday it voted unanimously to recommend the Ethics panel take further official action. Cherfilus-McCormick said in a statement she 'fully respect[ed] the process and remain[ed] committed to cooperating with the Committee as it works to bring this inquiry to a close.' 'The Committee on Ethics has not yet concluded its review of the allegations, and no decision has been made at this time,' she continued, adding, 'the referral for further review does not imply that any violation has occurred.' The OCC did not release details about the community project for which Cherfilus-McCormick might have improperly sought funding, though for fiscal year 2023 Cherfilus-McCormick had requested funding for the Salvation Army; Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Miami; a first-time homebuyers program for the City of Tamarac; and MorseLife Health System of West Palm Beach, among other projects. The report the Ethics Committee released in the previous Congress, which also originated in the OCC, found 'substantial reason to believe that Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick made payments to a state political action committee in connection with her campaign and failed to report these payments as contributions to her campaign.' The watchdog also found reason at that time to believe that someone not employed by Cherfilus-McCormick's official office conducted official work on her behalf; that her campaign did not report contributions it received that were greater than the federal limits; and that her campaign did not report transactions between the campaign account and the congresswoman's business accounts. This investigation is still under the review of an investigative subcommittee convened to probe the existing allegations against Cherfilus-McCormick, but the OCC board announced Thursday it had voted to dismiss allegations that Cherfilus-McCormick granted favors in exchange for receiving earmark funding or misreported the source of certain campaign contributions.
Forbes
08-04-2025
- Politics
- Forbes
House Ethics Office Stymied As Johnson Delays Board Appointments—Even With Two Republicans Willing To Serve
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has yet to appoint members to the House's independent ethics board, leaving the office unable to open new investigations—even though Democrats have named their picks and two Republicans have agreed to return. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., conducts a news conference on Tuesday. (Tom ... More Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images) The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct (formerly called the Office of Congressional Ethics) reviews misconduct allegations against House members, officers and staff. The office requires a board—up to six members, split evenly between parties—to approve new investigations. Without a board, the office can't initiate or advance new cases and may only work on those previously approved. The board has been vacant since the start of this Congress in January: Democratic leadership submitted the names of its appointees last week, but Johnson is yet to do likewise. Two former GOP board members—ex-Rep. Lynn Westmoreland and former House Clerk Karen Haas—have agreed to return, according to a source familiar with the process. Board appointments only require names to be read aloud in a pro forma session, according to the personal familiar with the process. His office didn't respond to requests for comment, and the two Republicans willing to return could not be reached. It remains unclear whether Johnson intends to move forward. Johnson hasn't explained why he hasn't named any board members—or whether he intends to. It's also unclear whether his delay is a political maneuver or simply reflects a low priority. Keep an eye on Johnson's office to appoint members. Or not, and effectively shut down new ethics investigations for the remainder of the Congress. Created in 2008, the Office of Congressional Conduct was designed to serve as an independent check on House ethics. Republicans have repeatedly tried to weaken it—most notably in 2017, when they proposed essentially eliminating it, and in 2023, when a GOP rules package imposed term limits that immediately ousted Democratic board members but left Republican ones in place. 23: That's the number of preliminary reviews the Office of Congressional Ethics initiated in the last Congress (through September 2024 anyway—without a board, the office is unable to publish the quarterly report that contains the final figures). The Senate has no equivalent to the House's independent ethics office—its members police themselves. Of the 1,523 complaints submitted to the Senate Ethics Committee between 2007 and 2022, not one resulted in formal disciplinary sanctions, according to a February 2023 Raw Story report. The House GOP's delay in reactivating its ethics watchdog echoes moves by President Donald Trump to weaken independent oversight across the executive branch. Since returning to office, Trump has fired the Democratic chair of the Federal Election Commission, blocking it from taking any measures that don't get the unanimous agreement of the four remaining commissioners; dismissed inspectors general at 17 agencies; and issued an executive order asserting presidential supervisory power over formerly independent agencies–including the Federal Trade Commission, the Federal Communications Commission and the Securities and Exchange Commission. Many of these moves are being challenged in the courts, according to a tracker managed by Just Security, a law and policy journal based at New York University. In December, the House Ethics Committee quietly tweaked its website code to block search engines from indexing its pages—making public reports harder to find. The move was reversed only after Forbes inquired about the change. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Is Under Investigation By House Ethics Committee (Forbes) Why Matt Gaetz's Resignation May Not Block Release Of Ethics Report (Forbes) Congressman Spends $540 Of Campaign Money At Insane Asylum (Forbes) Why Rep. Ilhan Omar's Book Deal Hasn't Appeared On Her Financial Disclosures (Forbes) $61,000 Of Campaign Money To Fight Ethics Investigation (Forbes) The New Years' Eve Ethics Massacre (First Branch Forecast)
