Democrats move to kick Rep. Cory Mills off military committee
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Rep. Cory Mills exits the U.S. Capitol after votes on July 23. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
House Democrats responded Tuesday to a Republican effort to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-V.I.) and remove her from the Intelligence Committee by reviving a censure measure against Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) that would kick him off the Armed Services Committee.
Why it matters: This is the third time Democrats have used the threat of a Mills rebuke — or at least a public debate on the topic — to kill a Republican censure effort against one of their members. So far, the strategy has worked.
- Congressional Black Caucus Chair Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.) first introduced the resolution censuring Mills in September, after Republicans moved to censure Rep. LaMonica McIver (D-N.J.) over a confrontation she had with ICE officers.
- Later that month, Progressive Caucus chair Greg Casar (D-Texas) forced a vote on the measure in response to Republicans moving to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for her comments on Charlie Kirk's assassination.
- Both Republican censure votes failed due to GOP defections, with Mills himself providing the critical vote to defeat the Omar censure after Axios reported that Casar would withdraw his measure if the Omar vote failed.
Driving the news: Clarke brought up a new version of her Mills censure resolution that would remove the Republican from Armed Services. The vote is set for Tuesday night.
- Clarke's five-page censure measure alleges Mills "has on several occasions conducted himself in a manner that reflects discredit upon the House of Representatives."
- It hones in on an array of allegations against Mills including domestic abuse, stolen valor and financial misconduct, all of which he denies.
Zoom out: Clarke's move came after the House narrowly voted to advance a resolution introduced by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) that would censure Plaskett and kick her off the Intel panel for texting Jeffrey Epstein during a congressional hearing in 2019.
- Plaskett and the disgraced financier discussed details of the hearing, with Epstein even floating possible questions that resembled the inquiries she later posed to witness Michael Cohen, according to the Washington Post.
- Plaskett's office has acknowledged she was texting Epstein but denied wrongdoing, with the delegate and her allies arguing on the House floor that she was merely communicating with a constituent.
- Democrats tried to refer the matter to the Ethics Committee, but it failed in a 213-214 vote — in which two Republicans voted for referral — setting up a Tuesday night vote on the measure.
The intrigue: Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) said she would vote for the Mills censure, writing in a post on X, "Sign me up. Is this for Stolen Valor or alleged assault of women or restraining order or something else?"
- That puts Republicans in a precarious position: They hold just a 219-214 majority, meaning just a handful of GOP defections on an otherwise party-line vote could spell victory for Democrats.
- A Mills spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
