House Democrats are quietly lining up to boot one of their own.
Several Democratic lawmakers told Axios they are prepared to vote to expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick as soon as the House Ethics Committee weighs in on her case Tuesday, according to interviews with more than 30 members.
The looming vote puts pressure squarely on Democrats. Republicans are expected to force the issue, but they will need roughly 80 Democrats to join them to remove the Florida congresswoman.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries has so far kept his cards close. Asked how he would guide his caucus, Jeffries said lawmakers will meet after the Ethics hearing and “follow the facts and apply the relevant law without fear or favor.”
Cherfilus-McCormick is accused of laundering $5 million in COVID-19 relief funds and funneling the money into her campaign. She has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty.
Democrats say the accusations are serious enough to warrant action.
“The charges and examination are incredibly, incredibly serious and I think we have to hold ourselves to high standards here in the Congress,” Rep. Angie Craig told Axios.
“We need to make sure we can tell the American people that they can trust in their lawmakers,” added Rep. Eric Sorensen.
Several Democrats are already signaling how they will vote. Reps. Shri Thanedar, Julie Johnson, John Larson, Steve Cohen, and Vicente Gonzalez all said they expect to support expulsion if the Ethics Committee recommends it.
“I’m going to take their recommendation very seriously,” said Rep. Jared Golden.
Others are going even further. Rep. Johnny Olszewski said expulsion is “something we should take a look at seriously even if it’s not” what the committee recommends.
Behind the scenes, Democrats say momentum is building fast. Lawmakers, speaking anonymously about internal discussions, said there may already be enough votes regardless of where leadership lands.
“Even if they don’t, there are still going to be enough votes,” one senior House Democrat said.
Another added there is “an appetite for” expulsion, saying, “Maybe that’s because we’re so pathetic and unproductive and we need something to do, or maybe it’s because the behavior seems to keep getting worse. Either way I’m ready to go.”
A third Democrat said bluntly: “Nowadays with the politics the way they are, you’re going to see Democrats probably vote in favor.”
Still, some members think it may never get that far. Expulsions are rare, in part because lawmakers often resign before being formally removed.
Several Democrats said they expect Jeffries to privately push Cherfilus-McCormick to step down to spare the caucus a tough vote, echoing the approach often taken by former Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“That’s what Nancy [Pelosi] used to do, so I would imagine that he would probably want to do the same thing,” one Democrat said.
Another lawmaker put it more bluntly: “If you know you’re going, why put yourself through that? And that’s what Swalwell and Gonzales did.”
In the end, Democrats expect a quick resolution.
“One way or another that’s going to resolve itself,” said Rep. John Mannion, “and probably fairly soon.”
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