Multiple news organizations reported that federal authorities are examining Mills, with sources indicating that at least part of the inquiry concerns his finances and may overlap with allegations already under review by the House Ethics Committee.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
The Department of Justice has opened a criminal investigation into Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., according to multiple reports citing people familiar with the matter.
The precise scope of the federal inquiry has not been publicly disclosed. Two sources who spoke with MS NOW did not identify its focus, while a third said the FBI contacted at least one person last year with questions about Mills’ finances, alleged misconduct and individuals associated with him.
Sources also told ABC News that the investigation concerns Mills’ finances at least in part.
A person familiar with the matter separately confirmed the existence of the inquiry to the Washington Examiner.
Neither the Justice Department nor the FBI commented when contacted by MS NOW.
Mills said Tuesday that he had received no notice of a federal investigation and knew nothing about the reports.
“I know nothing about it,” Mills said in a text message to the network.
During a brief follow-up telephone conversation, he repeated that the report was new to him.
“This is the first I’m hearing about it,” Mills said.
He argued that the matter should not involve alleged campaign finance violations because, he said, the Federal Election Commission had already closed a related inquiry.
“The FEC dismissed all the campaign stuff,” Mills said.
Mills suggested that any federal review might instead concern allegations already being examined by the House Ethics Committee, referring to “all the things stemming from the Ethics investigation.”
The Ethics Committee opened an investigation in November 2025 after receiving a referral from the Office of Congressional Conduct.
That congressional investigation encompasses several areas, including Mills’ campaign finances, financial disclosure filings, government contracts and personal conduct.
The allegations under review include a February 2025 domestic incident and a separate court-issued injunction involving a former girlfriend.
Mills has denied wrongdoing.
The Ethics Committee has not announced when it expects to complete its investigation or issue findings.
In May, committee Chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., and ranking member Mark DeSaulnier, D-Calif., released an update describing the extent of the panel’s work.
The lawmakers said the committee had authorized nearly 20 subpoenas, collected thousands of documents and contacted dozens of potential witnesses.
That level of activity indicates the inquiry has extended well beyond an initial review, though the committee has not said whether investigators have substantiated any of the allegations.
A congressional ethics investigation and a Justice Department criminal inquiry operate under different standards and can proceed independently.
The Ethics Committee determines whether a member violated House rules, standards of conduct or applicable law. The Justice Department evaluates whether evidence supports criminal charges.
Reports that an investigation exists do not establish that Mills committed a crime, and federal authorities have not announced charges against him.
Mills was elected to Congress in 2022 and represents Florida’s 7th Congressional District.
He is seeking reelection in November and faces a primary scheduled for Aug. 18.
The reported federal investigation introduces additional uncertainty into his campaign as he continues to resist calls from members of both parties to resign or be removed from office.
House Republican leaders have declined to pursue Mills’ expulsion while the Ethics Committee investigation remains unresolved.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has emerged as one of his most prominent Republican critics.
In April, Mace introduced a resolution seeking Mills’ expulsion.
“The evidence against Mills is overwhelming: beating women and telling them to lie about it, cyberstalking women, lying about his military service, and profiting off his seat,” Mace alleged.
Those claims remain allegations, and Mills has continued to maintain his innocence.
Mace’s expulsion measure did not receive a vote on the House floor.
She later forced lawmakers to address the allegations by introducing a privileged resolution in November that sought to censure Mills and remove him from his committee assignments.
The House did not adopt the proposed punishment.
Instead, lawmakers voted 310-103 to refer Mace’s complaint to the Ethics Committee, allowing the existing investigation to continue.
Mills has refused to resign and has said the allegations against him do not justify his removal from office.
The reports of a Justice Department inquiry now create a second track of scrutiny beyond the House investigation.
It remains unclear when the federal probe began, which prosecutors are directing it, whether a grand jury is involved or whether investigators have issued subpoenas.
The submitted reports also do not establish whether the Justice Department investigation covers every allegation before the Ethics Committee or only a narrower set of financial matters.
Mills’ statement that the FEC dismissed campaign-related claims does not necessarily foreclose scrutiny by another agency.
The FEC handles civil enforcement of federal campaign finance laws, while the Justice Department can investigate potential criminal violations involving finances, false statements, fraud or other conduct.
No public filing from the Justice Department was cited in the reports, and neither the department nor the FBI has confirmed the investigation on the record.
For now, Mills remains in office, continues to campaign for reelection and denies wrongdoing while both the reported federal inquiry and the House Ethics Committee investigation remain unresolved.
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