Byron Donalds says Cory Mills should spend time in district to evaluate political future

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds suggested that U.S. Rep. Cory Mills should spend some time in Florida to evaluate his political situation. The remarks come amid an ongoing House Ethics Committee investigation and a series of personal scandals for Mills.

“When any other members have been involved and stuff like this, my advice is the same,” said Donalds, a Naples Republican. “They need to actually spend a lot more time in the district and take stock of what’s going on at home, and make that decision with their voters.”

The response came less than a year after Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican, spoke at the launch of Donalds’ gubernatorial campaign. It also came days after Donalds voted to direct a censure resolution against Mills to the House Ethics Committee. The censure, unlike several past resolutions drafted by Democrats, had been brought to the floor by U.S. Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican.

“My vote the other day was to make sure that the allegations that were brought by Nancy actually get a thorough vetting in the Ethics Committee. I think that’s the appropriate step,” Donalds said.

When a full report from the Ethics Committee gets published, Donalds said Congress can address the matter.

Mills has faced allegations he profited from defense contracts while serving in Congress. A Judge also recently granted a restraining order to an ex-girlfriend who said he threatened to release intimate images.

Already, some members of Florida’s House delegation are ready to act now. U.S. Reps. Anna Paulina Luna and Kat Cammack, both Republican allies of Donalds, wanted the House to take up the censure resolution against Mills immediately.

“Staying silent doesn’t make a problem disappear — it enables it,” Cammack, who also spoke at Donalds’ campaign launch, told Florida Politics.

Luna on social media said Mills, who is running in a battleground seat, should “not seek re-election.”

Mills has defended himself against accusations.

“I believe all the accusations and false things that are being said will be proven to be absolutely false in many ways, and I have the evidence and receipts and look forward to working with them,” he said on the House floor.