Florida Congressman Mills Remains in Office Despite Allegations as Others Resign

At the start of last week, four members of Congress faced potential expulsion due to serious misconduct allegations. Within eight days, three have resigned, leaving only Representative Cory Mills (R-Fla.) still holding his position despite an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation into multiple serious accusations.

Representatives Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) and Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) were the first to step down, both facing allegations involving misconduct toward women. Swalwell’s case included rape accusations, which he has firmly denied, calling them “flat false.” On Tuesday afternoon, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.) became the third to resign, doing so moments before the Ethics Committee was set to determine her punishment following a federal grand jury indictment in November. She had been accused of stealing government funding and using some of it for illegal campaign contributions.

Mills, a first-term Republican representing Florida, faces a remarkably broad range of allegations that have drawn bipartisan concern. According to military records and public reports, Mills has been accused of significantly embellishing his military service by falsely claiming to have been an Army Ranger, Army sniper, and Special Forces qualified medic—credentials that Army records do not support.

Further allegations suggest Mills may have misrepresented circumstances surrounding a Bronze Star award, raising questions of stolen valor. While serving in Congress in 2023, he allegedly punched someone during an official trip to Ireland.

Perhaps most troubling are the accusations regarding his personal conduct. In October, a Florida judge issued a restraining order against Mills after determining he had subjected an ex-girlfriend to “dating violence” through cyberstalking. Court testimony indicates Mills allegedly threatened to share sexually explicit content of the woman and made threats against her future partners.

Despite spending over three hours defending himself in court during the restraining order case, Mills failed to convince the judge, who explicitly noted in the ruling that the congressman was not “truthful” about explicit material recorded during the relationship.

In a separate incident documented by the Washington Post, Mills was nearly arrested following allegations from another girlfriend. Body camera footage showed the woman displaying bruises on her arms and marks on her face, telling a police officer that Mills had harmed her during an argument and forcibly removed her from his Washington apartment. The woman later retracted her claim after a phone conversation that, according to police observations, appeared to be with Mills himself.

Mills has defended himself by emphasizing he has never faced criminal charges for any alleged misconduct, though critics note this defense skirts the substantial evidence and judicial findings against him.

The congressman’s unusual background includes transitioning from Army service to becoming an international arms dealer before entering politics. His controversial reputation has created enemies across party lines in Washington. On Monday, Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.), with whom Mills has a long-standing feud, introduced a resolution to expel him from Congress. Reports indicate Mills may be preparing a reciprocal expulsion resolution targeting Mace.

Despite the mounting allegations, Mills may remain protected from immediate expulsion as the Ethics Committee investigation continues without a definite timeline. However, his political future appears increasingly uncertain as he faces a potentially competitive reelection battle this fall.

His likely Democratic opponent, Bale Dalton, brings impressive credentials as a former Navy helicopter pilot who served as NASA’s chief of staff. While Mills won his district by 13 points in 2024—normally an insurmountable advantage in the Republican-leaning area—political analysts suggest the combination of his scandals and Democrats’ current momentum nationwide could make this race unexpectedly competitive.

As Washington continues to process the unusual wave of congressional resignations, attention will remain on whether Mills can weather the storm of allegations or if he will become the fourth member to leave Congress under a cloud of scandal.