Dem
47
GOP
53
We will concede that we are not 100% sure if "falling on your sword" only applies to honorable acts of self-sacrifice, or if it applies to any circumstance where a person removes themselves from a situation before someone else does the job for them. We think that the "honorable" part is implied, but is not actually required. In any event, the reason we're thinking about this is that Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) finally resigned yesterday. She most certainly did not "take one for the team," and held out until just moments before the House Ethics Committee was going to vote to recommend expulsion.
Truth be told, if Cherfilus-McCormick DID want to take one for the team, it probably would have been better for her to dig her heels in, and to be tossed out on her rear by an overwhelming vote of her Democratic colleagues. Then, the members of the blue team could say "See? We police our own, unlike the members of... some political parties." As it is, Cherfilus-McCormick is heading to the door while carping about "witch hunts" and "justice denied" and yadda, yadda, yadda. It's the same basic stuff that Eric Swalwell (D) and, to a lesser extent, Tony Gonzales (R) said when THEY jumped ship before they could be pushed overboard. That certainly makes for a less compelling narrative when it comes to the Democrats (or the Republicans) in the House bragging that they are fighting for truth, justice and the American way.
Meanwhile, it can't be too often that three members all resign in the same week, all in a cloud of scandal. We suspect three (or more) in a week sometimes happens when numerous members get elected to higher office in November, and need some time to prepare for the transition. And it certainly happened right before the Civil War, when the Southerners seceded. But three sleaze resignations in the same week? Presumably that is a sign that both parties are sensitive to the likelihood that corruption and bad behavior in office are going to be issues in November. The bad news for the GOP is that they've got a guy in the White House for whom corruption and bad behavior is his calling card. So, it's not going to be so easy for them to defang that issue, Gonzales or no Gonzales.
The loss of another Democrat leaves the House with 217 R, 213 D, and 1 R who is cosplaying as an I. That means that assuming Rep. Kevin Kiley ("I"-CA) votes with the party he's still caucusing with, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) can afford two defections on an otherwise party-line vote, and still see a measure pass. That's a pretty slim margin, but it's better than the one Johnson had when the week started.
There is one more (alleged) sleazeball who may soon be on the hot seat, namely Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL). There accusations against him are a veritable "greatest hits" of bad things a member of Congress might do: assault (of his girlfriend), sexual misconduct (he threatened to put revenge porn on the Internet), misuse of official resources, violation of campaign finance laws, accepting special favors in exchange for his vote, etc. Pretty much the only thing he did not do (as far as we know) is try to blackmail Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
House Republicans, from Johnson on down, would prefer not to lose a much-needed vote. They would also prefer not to have this particular conversation right now, given the dynamics of the upcoming election. So, they are going to try mightily to hide behind "Let's let the House Ethics Committee conduct its investigation before we reach any conclusions." Maybe that will work. Or, maybe it won't. In addition to the fact that Democrats are making all kinds of noise, there are several members of the Republican conference who want to see Mills gone, pronto. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) is one of those, and she just introduced a resolution that would toss Mills out by the scruff of his neck. She has the backing of at least some of her colleagues, most vocally Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL).
Under these circumstances, it would not surprise us if Mills survives to November. But it would also not surprise us if he suddenly gets appointed to some important job in the Trump administration, the sort of job that is so important, nobody in the White House actually knows what it is at the time of appointment. And last we checked, there is still no ambassador to Lower Slobovia. Beyond Mills, there do not appear to be any other members in jeopardy right now, though given how fast Swalwell's downfall came, you can never know for sure. (Z)