Politics
House votes to hold two allies of former Representative Cherfilus-McCormick in contempt
Lawmakers approved criminal referrals for North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph and former aide Hector Roos after they refused to comply with Ethics Committee subpoenas.
The short version
- The House of Representatives approved a voice vote holding North Miami Beach Mayor Michael Joseph and former congressional aide Hector Roos in contempt of Congress.
- The citations follow their refusal to comply with House Ethics Committee subpoenas probing former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.
- The Department of Justice must now decide whether to pursue criminal contempt charges, which carry potential fines up to $100,000 and one year in prison.
Key facts
- The House of Representatives unanimously approved by voice vote a measure holding Michael Joseph and Hector Roos in contempt of Congress.[Fox News]
- The contempt referrals follow the refusal of both individuals to comply with subpoenas from the House Ethics Committee investigating former Representative Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick.[Fox News]
- Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest stated that Roos filed inaccurate reports with the Federal Election Commission and that Joseph led a firm that improperly provided corporate funds to the former congresswoman's campaign.[Fox News]
- Cherfilus-McCormick resigned from the House earlier in the year and has pleaded not guilty to federal charges alleging she and her brother misappropriated $5 million in FEMA funding for her 2021 campaign.[Fox News]
What remains uncertain
- It is not yet known whether the Department of Justice will choose to pursue criminal charges against Joseph and Roos following the congressional referral.[Fox News]