Democratic US Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida resigned on Tuesday, stepping down just minutes before a House Ethics Committee hearing was set to recommend her punishment, which could have included expulsion. The committee had found she violated 25 House rules, with the most serious allegations involving $5 million in COVID-relief funds directed to her nonprofit that were allegedly funnelled to her campaign and personal accounts — conduct the panel characterised as financial fraud and money laundering. Cherfilus-McCormick, who also faces a separate criminal indictment, said the ethics process was unfair because it proceeded without giving her new lawyer adequate time to prepare, while committee members maintained she had been given ample opportunity to mount a defence over the two-year investigation.