Rep. Cory Mills says he’s staying put, NBC News reports. The Florida Republican told reporters Tuesday he has no intention of resigning or ending his reelection bid, despite a House Ethics Committee investigation and a new bipartisan push to boot him from office. “If someone can give me a good reason, I’d be more than happy to listen to it. But until we can do that, absolutely not,” he said at the Capitol, adding that he’s turned over documents and is complying with investigators.
The Ethics Committee says it is examining allegations of “sexual misconduct and/or dating violence” and campaign finance violations, all of which Mills denies. GOP Rep. Nancy Mace on Monday introduced a resolution to expel him, saying “the swamp has protected Cory Mills for far too long.” She’s facing her own ethics inquiry over housing reimbursements, which she has dismissed. CNN reports Mills threatened to bring his own expulsion measure against Mace—just the latest move in a long-running feud between the two—but has since backed down. He tells Fox News that if he’s expelled before the ethics panel reaches a conclusion, it will set a dangerous precedent.
Mills’ refusal to step aside comes as three other House members under ethics scrutiny—former Reps. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Eric Swalwell, and Tony Gonzales—resigned in the past week while confronting possible expulsion votes.
