Rep. Cory Mills has recently faced accusations that he has benefited from federal contracts while in office, that he assaulted a onetime girlfriend in his Washington apartment and, just this week, that he threatened another ex with the release of nude videos.
So far, the drumbeat of tawdry allegations has raised eyebrows in Washington, but it has not translated into any overt effort to sideline the two-term Florida Republican.
GOP leaders in the House and in his home state appear to be betting that Mills’ various messes will sort themselves out without blowing back on the party more broadly — and potentially threatening its hold on power.
President Donald Trump won Mills’ district by 12 points last year, and Mills himself won reelection by a slightly higher margin. Because national party operatives view his seat as safe, there is little incentive for GOP leaders to engage as the accusations swirl. A spokesperson for Speaker Mike Johnson did not return a request for comment.
Mills, 45, has denied wrongdoing in the contracting matter, which is now under a House Ethics Committee review, as well as the new claims of personal threats first made in a July police report and made public this week. The third incident was resolved after the ex-girlfriend who initially told police in February that Mills had assaulted her withdrew the allegation.
In a statement Tuesday, Mills said the latest accusation was a “political attack” concocted by a political rival, “all to score political headlines.”
“These claims are false and misrepresent the nature of my interaction,” he said. “I have always conducted myself with integrity, both personally and in service to Florida’s 7th District.”
While Republican leaders appear poised to give Mills space, plenty of others see a potential political mess in the making — starting with House Democrats, whose campaign arm recently put his seat on their list of “Districts in Play” for the midterms despite the bearish 2024 results. At least three Democrats have already announced they plan to challenge him.
“Floridians deserve leaders who protect people, not threaten them,” said Noah Widmann, one of the three. “Cory Mills is unfit to serve.”
Among House Republicans, quiet concerns have been brewing for months about whether Mills’ behavior could give Democrats a real opening. Some of his GOP colleagues are wondering if they should start looking for another candidate to back in the district, according to three Republicans granted anonymity to describe private talks.
“What if he is arrested for real?” said one of the three, a member.
Another House Republican, also granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter, said other controversies — including an allegation of unpaid rent that Mills dismissed last month as a misunderstanding with building management — have also surprised lawmakers.
A recent NOTUS report questioned whether Mills has been honest about his military service for which he was awarded a Bronze Star; Mills acknowledged “different recollections during chaotic wartime events” but said he was entitled to the honor. And as House Ethics probes his businesses’ contracts, which concern the sales of weapons or other equipment, Mills continues to sit on the House Foreign Affairs and Armed Services committees.
“And then this whole other issue is disturbing,” the lawmaker said about the new accusations of personal threats.
Those are rooted in Mills’ relationship with Lindsey Langston, the 2024 Miss United States. She told authorities last month that Mills contacted her multiple times threatening to release nude images and videos of them having sex and harm her future romantic partners after she broke off the relationship earlier this year, according to a police report obtained this week by POLITICO. The report said Langston shared messages with Mills backing up her claims.
The Columbia County, Florida, sheriff’s department forwarded the report to the state Department of Law Enforcement for investigation. The agency confirmed Wednesday it received the request but declined to comment further.
Langston’s allegations have been complicated by the involvement of Anthony Sabatini, a hard-right former Florida legislator who ran against Mills in 2022 and is now serving as Langston’s lawyer.
Mills suggested this week that Sabatini was engaged in a political vendetta, but the attorney said Wednesday that he no longer lives in Mills’ district and has no plans to seek his seat. The evidence of Mills’ actions speaks for itself, he said.
Sabatini said he plans to take Langston’s allegations directly to the House Ethics Committee, which he said has “the independent authority to investigate this on its face.” A spokesperson for the panel declined to comment.
“If they don’t do it, it’s only because [of] the margins,” he said.
Meanwhile, in Florida, conversation has surrounded just what Mills’ future in GOP politics might look like. One top Republican operative in the state said, even before the latest reports, Mills had been “extremely frustrated” in the House and “there are people out thinking about running for the congressional seat” if he does not run for a third term.
“He didn’t know if he wanted to continue in Congress,” said the operative, who was granted anonymity to discuss the sensitive matter.
Mills first won his seat in 2022 after post-Census redistricting created new GOP-friendly lines for the 7th District, stretching from Orlando’s north suburbs to the Atlantic coast — prompting Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy to retire.
His campaigns in both 2022 and 2024 were run with the aid of James Blair, a GOP consultant who now works as a deputy chief of staff for Trump and plays a key role in pushing the president’s agenda on the Hill.
Earlier this year, Mills was talking openly about running for the Senate seat that was vacated by Marco Rubio when he resigned to become secretary of State. But Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody instead, and Trump likely snuffed out any chance of a successful primary challenge by endorsing her late last month for next year’s special election.
In his statement, Mills said he would “remain focused on serving my constituents and advancing America First policies” and had no plans to comment further on Langston’s allegations.
“My team and I will fully cooperate to ensure the truth is made clear,” he said.
Mia McCarthy contributed to this report.
