Florida‘s House delegation made waves last week in Washington, but not because they were working together.
Instead, the House saw two Florida members, Reps. Cory Mills (R-FL) and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), embroiled in controversy, with their peers working to punish them in the lower chamber.
Mills, who has been threatened by Democrats with censure on multiple occasions over accusations of domestic violence, stolen valor over a Bronze Star he claims he was awarded, and financial misconduct, saw himself the subject of another censure effort — this time from members of his own party who were outraged at a perceived “backdoor” deal.
The resolution, filed by Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), pointed to “alleged stolen valor, arms deals he’s under investigation for, and alleged abuses toward women,” wanting to remove him from his committees, but the vote ultimately ended up referring him to the House Ethics Committee. Mills has denied any wrongdoing.
The censure effort came after three Republicans voted with all Democrats on Tuesday to halt the censure of Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) over her text messages with the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein in 2019. Several GOP women alleged the failure to censure Plaskett was a part of a “backdoor” deal to save Mills.
Mills claimed there were no “backdoor” deals made, saying Democrats have used him as a “political pawn.”
But Mace’s effort gained the support of two Republican women, Reps. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and Kat Cammack (R-FL).
Luna (R-FL) wrote on X that “the swamp protects itself,” later adding that she refuses to protect a corrupt Republican.
“Tonight, a handful of Republicans took a dive on a vote to strip Stacy Plaskett of her position on House intel because of her ties to Epstein,” Cammack wrote on X Tuesday night. “They did it to protect a Republican facing his own ethics issues from a similar vote. This backroom deal shit is swampy, wrong and always deserves to be called out.”
The House Ethics Committee announced it would establish an investigative subcommittee to halt the censure resolution, while the committee said it would look into a myriad of allegations against Mills, including allegations that he violated campaign finance laws, improperly received gifts, special favors, misused congressional resources, and committed sexual misconduct or dating violence. Mills has denied all allegations against him.
After Mills was referred to the Ethics Committee, NOTUS reported he was caught with sex workers when en route in Afghanistan.
“I suppose it’s not a surprise that a Republican congressman from Florida would turn into a Florida man story,” Republican Strategist Dennis Lennox told the Washington Examiner. “Florida is, arguably, the center of all things Republican Party these days.”
Mills’s office declined to comment on the report.
Mills’ investigation has also raised questions on his relationship with Florida colleague Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL), who is running to be the Sunshine State’s next governor.
“Now that Cory Mills has been exposed for hiring prostitutes, beating a woman, sexually extorting & stalking another woman, faking an entire military “record,” and likely going to be expelled by the House Ethics committee for financial fraud—it’s time for Donalds to make his involvement known,” Florida County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini wrote on X. “Donalds later removed & banned Mills as a surrogate from the Donalds Campaign when this all surfaced, but the records are there & he needs to go on the record—immediately.”
The Washington Examiner has reached out to Donalds for comment.
Mills is not the only member of the 28-person Florida delegation that was caught in the crossfire of scandal this week. Cherfilus-McCormick was indicted for taking $5 million in federal disaster funds to support her 2021 congressional campaign.
In response, another Florida Republican aimed to punish her originally through a censure, but then went further, saying he will force a vote for direct expulsion from the lower chamber, despite her not being proven guilty through trial.
“On second thought, I have decided to skip censure and move straight to expulsion,” Rep. Greg Stuebe (R-FL) wrote on X. “Defrauding the federal government and disaster victims of $5 million is an automatic disqualifier from serving in elected office.”
Stuebe’s threat against Cherfilus-McCormick was one of many disapproval efforts against members, with several censure efforts flying around Capitol Hill. This tactic for punishment used to be a rarity on Capitol Hill, but has recently become a norm.
MIKE JOHNSON DENIES HE’S CONSIDERING CHANGING THRESHOLD FOR DISCHARGE PETITIONS
Along with excessive use of the censure, discharge petitions, a tool often used by the minority party to force leadership to hold a vote on something that has majority support, have also found a way into the limelight. Discharge petitions have been a thorn in Speaker Mike Johnson’s (R-LA) side, after he lost the fight on the bill to force a full release of the Epstein files.
Luna has told reporters continuously that she has plenty of discharge petitions in her “back pocket,” as she has most recently been threatening one for a congressional stock trade ban.
, 2025-11-23 12:00:00, 
, Washington Examiner, %%https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/cropped-favicon.png?w=32, https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/feed/, Lauren Green
