Rep. Nancy Mace used her allotted time during a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to rip into a fellow Republican — in public and on the record. The South Carolina congresswoman laid into embattled Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.), accusing him of “stolen valor” in very specific terms as Hegseth testified on Capitol Hill about the Trump administration’s proposed budget and actions in Iran.
But rather than speaking about Pentagon spending levels, Mace, who is running for the Republican nomination for governor of her home state, came in hot as she requested a number of documents be submitted into the record making serious allegations regarding Mills. Among the documents was one detailing a conversation she had with a former brigadier general who served with Mills, who she claims told her that he did not review, read or physically sign the form that Mills submitted for a Bronze Star over his military service.
One of the issues Mills has come under fire for is receiving a Bronze Star, with people who served with him in Iraq in 2003 saying they did not remember him being in that particular battle and saving lives. Mace also submitted Mills’ marriage certificate of his union at a mosque. In addition, she submitted a photo of Mills with a purported Russian sex worker in Afghanistan and a restraining order he received for alleged dating violence.
“I just buried my father on Thursday, Mr. Chairman,” she said. She mentioned how her father died of shrapnel in his body due to his tours of duty in Vietnam and the Dominican Republic. “I take stolen valor seriously, because we have men and women in uniform that have given their lives,” Mace told committee chairman Rep. Mike Rogers of Alabama. “And an individual that steals the stories of dead soldiers or injured soldiers have no right to serve in this body let alone this committee.”
Mills is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee for alleged violations of campaign finance law, misuse of congressional resources and whether he engaged in sexual misconduct or alleged dating violence. The two-term Florida Republican also has a restraining order that prevents him from contacting his former partner for “protection against dating violence.” That woman, Lindsey Langston, alleged that Mills threatened to release nude images and videos to blackmail her. The charges against him received increased scrutiny after the resignation of Reps. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) and Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) after both men came under investigation for sexual misconduct against former staffers. The heat increased when Rep. Sheila Cherfilus (D-Fla.) resigned after the House Ethics Committee found her guilty of 25 ethics violations related to her allegedly stealing $5 million in FEMA funding meant for Covid-19 vaccines.
The calls have increased for Mills to be expelled from Congress. But House Speaker Mike Johnson has said that the Ethics Committee investigation needs to play out before any expulsion decision is made. Republicans have a tight majority and can afford to lose no votes. Mace, a rape survivor, has made a hard-right turn and embraced President Donald Trump despite her reservations about war with Iran. Mills has said he would not step down because he has not been charged either criminally or with civil charges. In addition, he said that he told The Independent last week that his case differed from that of Swalwell and Gonzales because both of them had been accused of mistreating their staff, which he had not. The Florida Republican has also dared Mace to call the vote. “Nancy thinks allegations and accusations is due process and should concern South Carolinians if she was to be considered for Governor. Even though she’s under investigation by the Ethics committee and in courts in South Carolina.” The Independent has reached out to Mills for comment.
