Lawmakers from both parties indicated Tuesday they will wait for the House Ethics Committee to conclude its investigation into Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) before considering his removal from office. While some members have called for his immediate expulsion, House Republican leadership and several rank-and-file members signaled they will not support ousting the Florida Republican until the committee releases its final report.
The delay comes as the House faces multiple ethics cases involving members of both parties. Reps. Tony Gonzales (R-TX) and Eric Swalwell (D-CA) faced pressure to resign Tuesday following sexual assault allegations from former staff members. Separately, Republicans plan to force a vote next week to expel Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL), whom the Ethics Committee found guilty last month of more than two dozen counts, including campaign finance violations and theft from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
Mills is under scrutiny for allegations including campaign finance violations, misrepresentations in financial disclosures, illicit involvement in federal contracts, and threatening to release private videos of a former partner. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) previously attempted to censure Mills for these allegations and for "stolen valor," though the effort was unsuccessful. Mills has denied the allegations, stating he was "unfairly lumped into this" and noting that, unlike Cherfilus-McCormick, he is not under federal indictment.
Democratic leaders, including Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar (D-CA) and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), stated Tuesday they have not yet reached a formal position on Mills. Jeffries told reporters he would confer with his members before weighing in. Several lawmakers, including Rep. Brad Schneider (D-IL) and Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), emphasized a preference for following the established House Ethics process rather than supporting what they characterized as political expulsion votes.
The scale of these ethics proceedings currently involves at least four sitting members of Congress across two parties. For the 435 members of the House, the reliance on the Ethics Committee maintains a precedent where lawmakers are generally protected from expulsion until a formal finding is reached. This process is known for being slow; while a member could force an expulsion vote as early as next week, the committee’s final report on Mills has no public deadline and could take months or years to resolve.
In the immediate term, the House will proceed with a vote on Rep. Cherfilus-McCormick next week following her guilty finding by the committee. The outcome for Mills remains tied to the internal investigation, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) stating Tuesday he is "looking into" the matter. Until the committee acts, Mills will continue to vote on federal legislation, receive a taxpayer-funded salary of approximately $174,000 per year, and exercise the full legal rights of a member of Congress.