Nancy Mace’s complaint against fellow Republican Cory Mills referred to House Ethics Committee

The House on Wednesday night referred a Republican’s push to ​censure her fellow GOP colleague to the chamber’s Ethics Committee, beating back an effort to swiftly remove him from his committee assignments.

Lawmakers voted 310-103 to send GOP Rep. Nancy Mace’s complaint against Florida Rep. Cory Mills to the committee, staving off another vote on the matter later this week. Mills had moved to refer it to the panel.

The House Ethics committee revealed separately on Wednesday it voted to establish an investigative subcommittee to probe the various allegations that Mills is facing.

Mace announced earlier in the day that she would seek to censure the Florida congressman and remove him from the House Armed Services and House Foreign Affairs committees, pointing to several controversies surrounding him. Though ultimately unsuccessful, seven Republicans – Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Anna Paulina Luna, Lauren Boebert, Harriet Hageman, Tim Burchett, Kat Cammack and Joe Wilson – joined with Mace to move it forward.

Once considered rare in the House chamber, censure has been used more frequently in recent years and amounts to a significant rebuke of a member of Congress.

The congresswoman’s attempt to reprimand Mills comes after House Democrats on Tuesday night abandoned a separate censure measure against the Florida Republican after a GOP effort to censure Democratic Del. Stacey Plaskett failed.

Mills said in a statement Wednesday that there was no deal between lawmakers leading Democrats to pull the Tuesday resolution and that he and his team were surprised by the move.

“Let me be perfectly clear, there was no backroom deal, no negotiation, and no quid pro quo of any kind that would’ve forced the Democrats to stand down on that vote against me. Anyone pushing that narrative is just wrong,” he said on X.

Mace’s resolution to censure Mills points to individuals who served with Mills in the Army and dispute his version of events that led him to be recommended the Bronze Star, which was reported on by NOTUS.

Arguing that Mills’ conduct “brings discredit upon the House,” the resolution also outlines the allegation of assault against Mills and accusations from an ex-girlfriend that he threatened to release sexually explicit images and videos of her. The resolution also mentions a judge’s order that Mills is not to have any contact with that ex-girlfriend. Mills has denied any wrongdoing in both matters.

Mace’s resolution also points to the Office of Congressional Ethics’ findings that Mills may have entered into or held contracts with federal agencies while serving as a member of Congress, which is in violation of House rules. It also cites the ethics office’s finding that Mills may have omitted required information in his financial disclosure statements and accepted excessive contributions to his campaign.

“These allegations are far too serious to ignore,” Mace said in a statement.

“A member of Congress accused of assaulting women, profiting off federal contracts from his seat, and inflating or falsifying his service record has no business anywhere near national-security committees. This isn’t about partisan politics, it’s about protecting the integrity of this institution and the safety of women,” she added.

This headline and story have been updated with additional developments.