A fiery Republican feud erupted on Capitol Hill after Florida Rep. Cory Mills narrowly sidestepped a censure that threatened to strip him of his committee posts amid a storm of misconduct allegations.
Mills survived the high stakes vote on Wednesday night when most House Republicans, joined by a sizable bloc of Democrats, backed a motion to refer Rep. Nancy Mace’s resolution to the House Ethics Committee instead of approving punishment on the spot.
The move prevented Mills from being booted from both the House Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, roles that give him influence over national security and foreign policy.
Mace, who has escalated her criticism of Mills in recent months, forced the showdown earlier in the day by filing a resolution cataloging a range of accusations she says make Mills unfit to serve in sensitive positions.
As a survivor and as a Member of Congress, we refuse to look the other way.
Here’s why we are forcing a vote to censure Cory Mills.
FULL REMARKS: pic.twitter.com/AjlmuzxzM9
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) November 19, 2025
She accused her GOP colleague of conduct that, in her words, crosses clear lines of propriety.
“A Member of Congress accused of assaulting women, profiting off federal contracts from his seat, and inflating or falsifying his service record has no business anywhere near national-security committees,” she said in a statement.
Mace framed her push as necessary to safeguard Congress, adding, “This isn’t about partisan politics, it’s about protecting the integrity of this institution and the safety of women.”
Her resolution leaned heavily on reporting that contradicts parts of Mills’ account of the heroic actions that led to his Bronze Star recommendation.
Cory Mills never spent over 20 years in the Iraq War or Middle East fighting terrorists.
This guy definitely has a screw loose and shouldn't be on Foreign Affairs or the House Armed Services Committee.
Don't fret, it gets worse. Much worse. pic.twitter.com/QeY8BN4MEp
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) September 22, 2025
Two service members reportedly disputed his involvement in their rescue, challenging claims that he provided lifesaving care.
Mills rejected those accounts, insisting that the accusations against his military valor were “baseless, recycled, and already publicly disproven.” He said, “I fully deny them.”
The resolution also pointed to a December 2024 Office of Congressional Ethics review suggesting Mills may have violated House rules by holding onto federal contracts while serving in Congress.
Before entering office in 2023, Mills worked as a defense contractor, and the report suggested he might not have properly separated himself from that work.
Partial Transcript of call where I learned the DA Form 638 for Rep. Cory Mills Bronze Star was not written, read or personally signed by the appropriate Officer. To date, Mills has not provided the public with a copy of his citation, except for a partial, redacted DA Form 638… pic.twitter.com/xbz0I61dqj
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) November 19, 2025
A more recent controversy emerged after a Florida judge issued a restraining order against Mills last month.
The order, requested by an ex-girlfriend, accused the congressman of harassing her and threatening to circulate intimate photos following their breakup earlier this year. Mills has denied several of the allegations linked to the order.
Mace also highlighted a separate February incident involving a different documented by Washington, DC, police.
The MPD report said Mills’ girlfriend told officers he grabbed and shoved her during an argument, pushing her toward the door of his residence.
Mace noted that “officers observed fresh bruises on her arm” and claimed the woman reported that Mills instructed her to lie about how she was injured.
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Officers reportedly determined there was probable cause for misdemeanor assault and forwarded an arrest warrant request to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
The woman later reversed her claims, telling NBC News, “While the personal matter in question was emotionally charged, there was no physical altercation,” and the investigation was subsequently closed.
Mills’ office issued a brief statement asserting that the congressman “vehemently denies any wrongdoing whatsoever, and is confident any investigation will clear this matter quickly.”
Only seven House Republicans supported allowing Mace’s resolution to advance.
The group included Reps. Anna Paulina Luna, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Tim Burchett, Joe Wilson, Kat Cammack, and Harriet Hageman.
Democrats were divided, with the ten members of the Ethics Committee voting present.
Reps. Jahana Hayes and Jennifer McClellan also chose to abstain, which allowed the referral motion to carry.
The vote unfolded just hours after the Ethics Committee announced a new investigative subcommittee to examine multiple allegations against Mills, ranging from sexual misconduct claims to financial irregularities.
Mills has consistently denied any violations of ethical or legal standards.
As the House clerk read the censure resolution aloud, tension on the floor escalated.
Mace, dressed in all white, stood and fixed her gaze on Mills, who was seated a few feet away in the same row.
The two reportedly exchanged words. Mills later told reporters Mace used “extremely vulgar” language.
According to Mills, “I’ll just put it this way. Anything from the p-word, to you’re a POS, to F-U, I mean, you could just fill in the blanks on all that. I just looked at her and said, Okay, thank you.”
Mills then added pointedly, “She talks about conduct, and she talks about trying to take the moral ground — I think that she’s the right person to do that.”
Mace blasted the timing of the Ethics Committee’s new investigative announcement, charging lawmakers with attempting to derail her resolution.
“This is a naked attempt to kill my resolution to censure Rep. Cory Mills,” she wrote on X.
This is a naked attempt to kill my resolution to censure Rep. Cory Mills.
Common sense tells us we don’t need an investigative subcommittee to decide if Cory Mills, who a Court found to be an immediate and present danger of committing dating violence against a woman, should… https://t.co/RFUcgPCYQs
— Rep. Nancy Mace (@RepNancyMace) November 19, 2025
She argued that basic judgment alone should have disqualified him from committee assignments.
“Common sense tells us we don’t need an investigative subcommittee to decide if Cory Mills, who a Court found to be an immediate and present danger of committing dating violence against a woman, should serve on committees related to national security,” she continued in the post.
While the Mills fight dominated headlines, the House also unanimously passed legislation on Wednesday repealing a controversial new statute allowing senators to sue for large payouts if law enforcement sought their phone records without prior notification. The repeal passed 426 to 0, reflecting rare bipartisan outrage.
The statute, inserted quietly into the earlier government funding bill crafted by Senate negotiators, would have entitled senators to sue for up to $500,000.
It followed revelations from Sen. Chuck Grassley that former special counsel Jack Smith’s “Arctic Frost” probe into 2020 election challenges had obtained phone records belonging to ten Republican senators and at least one House member, Rep. Mike Kelly.
The addition angered House Speaker Mike Johnson, who said last week that he was “very angry” and that the provision was “way out of line.”
