House Blocks Nancy Mace’s Bid to Censure Rep. Cory Mills as Ethics Probe Expands

Washington — The House on Wednesday blocked a bid by Rep. Nancy Mace to formally censure Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and remove him from his committee assignments amid multiple allegations that include potential federal contracting violations, campaign finance irregularities, stolen valor and threats against a former partner.

Motion referred to Ethics Committee

Mace brought a privileged resolution to the floor, which would have required GOP leadership to hold a vote within two legislative days. Mills avoided an immediate showdown by successfully moving to refer the resolution to the House Ethics Committee, a procedural move that effectively stalled the censure effort.

“All the accusations and false things that are being said will be proven to be absolutely false in many ways,” Mills said before the procedural move. “And I have the evidence and receipts.”

Ethics inquiry and allegations

The House Ethics Committee announced on Wednesday that it has opened an investigation into Mills over alleged campaign finance violations, sexual misconduct and other potential wrongdoing. Mace called the committee action a “naked attempt to kill my resolution.”

The censure resolution references several controversies surrounding Mills this year, including reports that he threatened to release nude photos of a former girlfriend — an episode that prompted a judge to grant a protective order in October — and an earlier probe into possible domestic violence. Mills has denied wrongdoing and has not been criminally charged.

Mace argued that the allegations undermine Mills’ fitness to serve on committees that oversee national security. “I will not stand by while women risk everything to come forward with credible allegations of abuse and threats,” she said, adding that she would not ignore potential financial misconduct tied to federal contracts or allegations of stolen valor.

Watchdog report and committee assignments

The resolution also cited a congressional watchdog report from August 2024 that found Mills may have misrepresented information on campaign finance disclosure forms and may have “entered into, held, or enjoyed contracts with federal agencies while he was a Member of Congress in violation of House rules, standards of conduct, and federal law.”

Mace noted that some former military colleagues have questioned aspects of the account that led to Mills receiving a Bronze Star in 2021 for actions in Iraq in 2003. In a letter to Speaker Mike Johnson, she said she had “grave concern regarding the fitness” of Mills and urged that he be removed from his assignments on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees, where he currently serves.

Partisan context

Mace’s effort followed partisan tit-for-tat moves: Democrats had threatened to force a vote to censure Mills in response to a Republican push to rebuke Del. Stacey Plaskett of the U.S. Virgin Islands. That GOP move was tied to released messages showing Plaskett exchanged texts with an associate connected to Jeffrey Epstein during a 2019 House Oversight Committee hearing, according to the documents made public by the Oversight panel.

The referral to the Ethics Committee means the matter will now proceed behind committee doors, where investigators may probe campaign filings, contract records and allegations of personal misconduct. Both sides signaled they are preparing for a prolonged dispute: Mace pressed for swift disciplinary action, while Mills vowed to produce evidence to rebut the claims.