Editorial: If Mills won't resign, expel him

Floridians deserve to be represented in Congress by lawmakers who are ready to put their constituents' interests first, representatives whose behavior doesn't cast a serious cloud over their ethics or distract them from critical issues.

That is why we were glad to hear that U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a South Florida Democrat indicted on charges of pocketing and misusing $5 million in federal COVID funding, resigned her seat Monday. While she has not been convicted of any crime, the accusations against her are weighty ones, backed by thousands of documents and many witnesses. She insists that she will be vindicated, but we can't see any way that she could effectively fulfill her duties while burdened with the demands of her own defense. She resigned just minutes before a public hearing in the House Ethics Committee.

Her decision comes on the heels of the resignations of Rep. Tony Gonzalez, R-Texas (who admitted to an affair with a staff member who later took her own life) and Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-California, facing multiple allegations serious sexual misconduct. Both Cherfilus-McCormick and Swalwell say they are wrongly accused, and both deserve their day in court But the voters they (and Gonzalez) represent also deserve clear and undistracted representation - a prerogative that's even more pressing because of the razor-thin edge of Republican control in the House. Every representative, every vote counts.

And every voter in Florida's U.S. House District 7 - which includes all of Seminole County and a substantial portion of Volusia - also deserves that level of representation. But they don't have it. That's because they are represented by someone whose name is most frequently mentioned in connection with Swalwell, Gonzalez and Cherfilus-McCormick - someone trailing evidence of significant indiscretions that compromise nearly every facet of his congressional service.

Mills should be next

Someone, in short, who needs to go. Rep. Cory Mills has not been convicted of any crime, and certainly has the right to defend his innocence.But that right doesn't extend to serving in Congress in the face of credible, distracting questions of ethics and behavior. Mills faces at least four allegations of serious misconduct, any of which, if true, constitute grounds to question his fitness for service. That starts, of course, with his documented behavior toward at least two women with whom he shared residences.

The first case came to light in February 2025, after police were called to a Washington, D.C. penthouse apartment by a woman who said Mills physically assaulted her. After the woman retracted her story, the case fizzled - but an investigative story in the Washington Post this past weekend reveals new details that shed light on the events of that night. Among them: Body-cam footage that appears to document the woman's phone conversation with someone believed to be Mills, followed by her telling the officer that she'd been instructed to say that the bruises on her face and body, visible to police, were from their shared vacation and that Mills did not act violently toward her. According to the Post, the officer then told her: "My camera has been running the whole time, okay? It caught your conversation where you said, ‘What do you want me to say?' You just told me, ‘He wants me to say this.'"

The Post also documents that police on the scene ultimately decided not to arrest Mills (despite an official policy that requires at least one partner to be taken into custody in almost all calls related to domestic violence) after the woman recanted her story. But the entire encounter reveals why so many police departments implement that so-called "shall arrest" policy: Victims of domestic assault often attempt to change or completely deny the events that led them to call for help - often because they've been conditioned to fear additional violence. When police officials changed their mind the next day and sought to have Mills arrested, the request was denied by Acting U.S. District Attorney Ed Martin. Martin was an appointee of President Donald Trump, who has endorsed Mills for re-election.

We hope Washington, D.C. police officials thoroughly investigate what happened that night - especially in light of a case involving a second woman who was sharing a home with Mills in New Smyrna Beach. She decided to break up with Mills after learning about the Washington D.C. incident - only to be threatened by the congressman, who said he'd release obscene videos of her and said he'd harm anyone she dated in the future. After a two-day hearing in North Florida, those allegations were found to be sufficiently credible to be the basis of a restraining order that prevents Mills from contacting or harassing the woman.

These accusations of domestic violence are just the most recent of Mills' problems. A House Ethics Committee staff report found substantial evidence that Mills has violated campaign-finance regulations. Even worse, the committee found evidence that companies owned or controlled by Mills were doing business with the U.S. government after Mills was elected to Congress, which would be a violation of federal law.

Finally, there are significant questions about Mills' account of himself - used to great dramatic effect during his first run for Congress - as a military hero who acted heroically in Iraq and Iran. When the Orlando Sentinel showed documents from his service record to high-ranking military officers, each said that things weren't adding up; there is no record of his serving as a sniper or member of the elite Army Rangers, and the dates of service reflected in his official military record do not correspond with the time he claimed to have been deployed.

A current evaluation

Any of these allegations would be cause for discipline by Congress. Unfortunately, there's one problem with Mills that can't be resolved through discipline: To put it simply, he's doing a lousy job as a representative of District 7.

In fact, he's barely trying. Compared to other members of the Florida delegation, Mills is putting in the bare minimum of effort. In his current term, he's introduced just 28 pieces of legislation, only one of which has even had a committee hearing. Most of his effort has been frittered away on rankly partisan nonsense, such as a resolution to rename the Congressional Budget Office into the China Budget Office, or the so-called "DIE to DEI Act."

But one action, in particular, is particularly worth noting: This week, he moved to expel Rep. Nancy Mace, R-South Carolina - backed by a flurry of social-media posts (at least 10, by noon Wednesday) most of which were viciously personal. No other topic - not gas prices, nor the nation's troubled economy, nor the war in Iran or the mounting crisis of unaffordable housing across Central Florida - has merited as much effort or commentary from Mills.

One might say turn about is fair play: After all, Mace was the first Republican member of Congress to acknowledge that Mills had earned censure himself, and she filed her motion to expel him Monday. But there's a critical difference: Mace's stance is gaining support from a growing number of Republicans who are fed up with his behavior. Seven Republicans voted with Mace on her censure resolution, including Florida's Kat Cammack and Anna Paulina Luna. Outside of Congress, people like Trump advisor Roger Stone and former House speaker Paul Renner (who is running for governor) have called for his removal.

"When an elected official demonstrates an ongoing pattern of self-interest and low moral character, they should do what is right and step down," Renner said, in a statement that addressed Cherfilus-McCormick as well as Cory Mills to resign immediately. "Should they fail to do so, Congress should expel them without delay."

The congressional primary is set for August 22. So long as Mills remains an incumbent, it's unlikely that another serious Republican will step forward to challenge him. That shortchanges the voters of District 7. If Mills is not willing or available to see to his constituents' real needs, it's up to Congress. Give him the boot, and clear the way for a fair contest that could give Seminole and Volusia residents representation they can respect, and rely on.

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Executive Editor Roger Simmons and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Use insight@orlandosentinel.com to contact us.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 2:37 PM.