PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. — U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick told her side of the story Sunday while joining Local 10’s Glenna Milberg on “This Week in South Florida.”
The congresswoman spoke out for the first time after a House Ethics Committee found her guilty of 25 charges, alleging she stole millions of dollars in FEMA money for use in her congressional campaign.
“There was absolutely no theft -- absolutely no theft of $5 million,” the congresswoman said.
Cherfilus-McCormick spoke to Milberg just 48 hours after a House committee said the congresswoman violated House rules and ethics standards 25 times.
“There was an agreement for that money. I was supposed to be paid for working as an independent contractor because I was in the field,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.
The congresswoman denied that she stole millions of dollars in COVID relief money to use for her 2022 campaign.
“The payment that the state made erroneously was $5 million when the payment was supposed to be $500,000,” Milberg said. “That is a fact.”
Cherfilus-McCormick argues she did nothing wrong.
“Did I actually have a right, was their billing correct? Did I have a right to the funds that we were supposed to get? The fact of the matter is, yes,” she said.
The congresswoman said the overpayment was a state error.
“But the issue here, congresswoman, is that money was paid and not returned and alleged to be diverted to your campaign. It wasn’t about other people,” Milberg said.
“This is what I’m trying to explain to you, right, that it’s false,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.
Thursday’s rare public hearing looked into a total of 27 charges, including:
- 18 campaign finance violations
- 5 false financial disclosures
- 3 misusing official funds
- 1 lack of candor
The panel found cause for all but two.
The congresswoman faces federal criminal charges for those same accusations.
She says that’s what made Thursday’s hearing so difficult.
“We argued that if they go forward with a public hearing or even having this summary judgment hearing, that it would taint my criminal trial,” Cherfilus-McCormick said.
The congresswoman’s full conversation with Milberg on the latest episode of “This Week in South Florida” can be seen at the top of this page.
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