Republican to force vote on ousting GOP Rep. Cory Mills from committees
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Rep. Cory Mills at a Trump Assassination Task Force hearing at the U.S. Capitol on Sept. 26, 2024. Photo: Kent Nishimura/Getty Images
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) plans to force a vote on censuring Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) and removing him from several committees, according to sources familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: Democrats have repeatedly threatened such a move against the embattled Florida Republican, but only as a retaliatory tactic to quash GOP censure measures. Mace wants to do it for real this time.
- Democrats triggered a vote Tuesday on censuring Mills and kicking him off the Armed Services Committee but withdrew it after a GOP measure to censure Delegate Stacey Plaskett (D-Virgin Islands) failed narrowly.
- That outraged some Republicans, who accused leadership in both parties of cutting a "backroom deal" to rescue both Plaskett and Mills.
The details: Mace's censure measure will touch on the wide array of allegations against Mills, including domestic abuse, stolen valor and financial misconduct, all of which he denies.
- It would strip him of both his committee assignments, kicking him off the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs committees, a source said.
- Mace also sent Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) a letter urging him to kick the Florida Republican off those panels.
- Mills' office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Flashback: Mace threatened to censure Mills in September after he voted against her resolution to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) for comments she made about the late conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
- Mills said he provided the decisive vote against censoring Omar on First Amendment grounds. "At the end of the day, I'm a constitutionalist," Mills wrote on X.
- In October, a Florida judge granted a protective order against Mills after a former girlfriend accused him of threatening to release sexually explicit photos and videos of her.
- Johnson brushed off questions about the protective order at the time, urging reporters to "talk about something serious instead" when pressed on it.
Between the lines: Several Republicans besides Mace may be inclined to vote to censure Mills.
- Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) expressed support for taking disciplinary action against Mills in an October interview with Axios, inquiring why Johnson wasn't "doing anything about" him.
- Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) said on the House floor Tuesday night that Mills should not seek reelection.
The intrigue: It is not clear whether Democrats will support Mace's maneuver.
- Some lawmakers and aides predicted that the party will overwhelmingly vote for it on its merits, but others said some members may vote to table the measure or refer it to the Ethics Committee over process concerns.
- Some Democrats were "uncomfortable last night" with their own party's measure to censure Mills because they felt it wasn't "giving him due process," a senior House Democrat told Axios. "People want consistency and [are] tired of leadership just protecting ours," the lawmaker added.
- Ultimately, it may come down to whether House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) supports the measure. He said at a press conference Wednesday afternoon that he hasn't seen it.
What's next: Mace is expected to force the vote Wednesday afternoon, which would require Republican leadership to hold a procedural vote on it by Friday.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
