Democrats face test as rare Ethics hearing examines Cherfilus-McCormick fraud allegations

A rare public hearing of the House Ethics Committee on Thursday to examine allegations that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) stole millions in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds will put Democrats in a tough spot, complicating an anti-corruption message they are hoping will help them flip the House in November’s midterms.

Behind House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.), Democrats are hammering President Trump with a long list of fraud and self-dealing accusations, highlighting the president’s penchant for using the office to enrich himself and his family.

Those are the charges facing Cherfilus-McCormick, who is accused of stealing $5 million from FEMA and using part of it to fund her first successful run for Congress in 2021. 

Cherfilus-McCormick has maintained her innocence, saying she’s the target of a political witch hunt conducted by Trump’s Justice Department. Yet fellow Democrats say she’s feeling the heat, going so far as to seek a presidential pardon during last year’s White House Christmas party, according to a source familiar with the exchange. 

Jeffries has stood by her in the wake of the November indictment, saying she “is entitled to the presumption of innocence like every other American.”

But a number of rank-and-file Democrats have reservations, warning that a blanket defense of Cherfilus-McCormick could send the message that the party views matters of criminal justice through a partisan lens — and weaken their campaign message that Republicans are the party of fraud and corruption.

“How do you maintain your integrity and objectivity — you’re sitting as a judge now — so how do you maintain that credibility if you’re going to treat Democrats better than Republicans?” Rep. Stephen........

© The Hill