Rep. Cory Mills of Florida says he will not resign from Congress despite facing an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation.
The Independent spoke to Mills, who insisted he had no reason to leave, even after Florida Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick announced her resignation on Tuesday amid troubling ethics findings.
“I would love to know, can you tell me what criminal or civil charge I’ve ever been charged with?” Mills countered. The Independent pointed out how Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales both resigned their seats after the House Ethics Committee opened investigations into them for sexual misconduct.
“They were under investigation for what? Sexual misconduct with a staffer or Hill staff? Affairs,” he said.
The Independent noted that a state judge hit Mills with a restraining order that prevents him from contacting an ex-partner. House Speaker Mike Johnson has previously disregarded the restraining order.
“I had a social media injunction,” Mills said. “And so is everyone on the floor who has a restraining order, even if it’s a temporary where we don’t get to actually repel against it. Should they all leave?”
Many members of Congress, including some Republicans, have pushed for Mills to be expelled from Congress, which would require two-thirds of the vote.
But Mills said that three members of Congress were expelled for joining the Confederacy during the Civil War, two were convicted felons under federal indictment and the other was George Santos, who had undergone an Ethics Committee investigation.
“So what is the actual precedence?” Mills said. “If you’re gonna actually ask the question, you should actually know the answer.”
The House Ethics Committee opened an investigation into whether Mills failed to disclose information on required statements to the House, violated campaign finance laws, improperly solicited or received gifts, received special favors because of his office, “engaged in misconduct with respect to allegations of sexual misconduct and/or dating violence” or misused his congressional resources or status.
But on Tuesday, Mills spoke to CNN and said that Johnson had told him not to resign.
“He told me that this is why we have this process,” Mills said of Johnson to CNN. Johnson for his part did not say to CNN that Mills should resign.
“Cory Mills is going through the same due process that was afforded to Cherfilus-McCormick and anyone else who has allegations made against them,” he said. “He is in the middle of an Ethics Committee process.”
Cherfilus-McCormick announced her resignation on Tuesday ahead. The House Ethics Committee had previously found her guilty of 25 House ethics violations tied to allegations that she stole money meant for Covid relief and used some of the cash to fund her congressional campaign.
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