Dem Florida Congresswoman Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick’s chief of staff tells NOTUS that the federal criminal defendant has resigned her seat effective at 1:30 PM on Tuesday, ditching an expected expulsion vote right off the heels of an Ethics Committee hearing that had damned her to a punishment not nearly as bad as the 54 years she faces in the joint. And probably not the Ghislaine Maxwell joint, since Cherfilus-McCormick can’t just tell Todd Blanche that Donald didn’t rape any sex trafficking victims but then he also ignores the part where she said Jeffrey Epstein didn’t rape any of them either which would obviously undermine the credibility of anything she says.

Yeah, Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick doesn’t have that option, so sucks for her.

What sucks for us is that the not-totally-unrealistic 2-for-1 scenario floated by some in which domestic abuser MAGA Congressman Cory Mills is forced out simultaneously the way Tony Gonzales and Eric Swalwell were. It doesn’t mean Mills cannot be forced out at all so much as Republicans are more incentivized to close ranks now that Cherf is headed home to face a jury.

Also lol if you think this seat is getting filled anytime before January 3rd, no way Gov Tiny D’s gonna move on that. Just ask Sheila herself, who won her seat in a special held eight months after Dem Congressman Alcee Hastings died in 2021. If Mills had gone too then it wouldn’t matter because he can’t just hold one special election but not the other… Probably… Maybe shouldn’t totally rule out that little weasel finding some loophole – or just doing that and running out the clock in court.