Editorial: Mills, Cherfilus-McCormick should leave Congress

Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Sentinel on Apr 3, 2026

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Two members of Florida’s congressional delegation — one Democrat, U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Miramar and one Republican, Cory Mills of New Smyrna Beach — have become embarrassments to this state, their constituents, their parties and Congress itself. To give all voters the chance to find someone who can do the job unhindered by scandal, both need to go. If they won’t step down, the House should move to expel them.

Representatives already have all the information they need to act — and in the case of Mills, they’ve had it since December 2024, when the Office of Congressional Ethics released a 33-page referral that covered some of the allegations against him. It sat dormant for months — through a court battle as to whether Mills should be ordered to stay away from a former romantic interest who said she was afraid of him. Cherfilus-McCormick’s case appears to be moving much faster; there’s already been one ethics subcommittee meeting, which produced 25 formal misconduct charges coming hot on the heels of a criminal indictment issued in November 2025 that accuses her of keeping $5 million in COVID-relief funds she was not entitled to, money laundering, and making illegal campaign contributions. After the Easter break, her case could be heard by the full Committee on Ethics, which has an array of options ranging from a public censure to expulsion.

It makes sense to proceed with the harsher penalty. Cherfilus-McCormick cannot effectively represent her constituents while facing charges that could bring more than 50 years in prison.

Fair is fair

There’s just one problem. And his name is Cory Mills. Letting him remain in Congress to defend his seat, while Cherfilus McCormick gets the boot, would damage the reputation of Congress.

The wide variety of allegations that have been levied against Mills have yet to result in criminal charges, and may never be handled by prosecutors. But the laundry list of specific misdeeds is staggering. The House report included claims that the company founded by Mills and his wife — which deals in so-called “less than lethal” arms — benefited from government contracts while Mills was serving in Congress, in ways that are illegal, the report says. He’s also accused of campaign finance and financial disclosure violations.

But it gets worse, and once again, the problems are well-documented, including a report of Washington, D.C., police responding to a call from a woman who was apparently sharing Mills’ D.C. townhouse. She showed police marks she said Mills left on her, but later recanted. However, news of the incident came to the attention of another woman who was also romantically entangled with Mills. After she broke up with him, she said, he targeted her with threats and made her fearful for her safety Last year, a North Florida judge held a hearing that resulted in a restraining order against him.

There are also credible questions over whether Mills exaggerated his military record during his first campaign. The Orlando Sentinel spoke with high-ranking officers in the Army who say he’s made claims that don’t match his official service record.

Several members of Congress have called for Mills to face severe sanctions or even expulsion, including Republicans. Earlier this year, his case was finally formally submitted to the House Ethics Committee, including a request to consider the allegations of domestic violence against him. But it’s still lagging.

What happens next

It would be an act of rankest hypocrisy to oust Cherfilus-McCormick while Mills’ case languishes. And with congressional primaries less than five months away, voters in both districts deserve full investigations and decisive action.

That won’t happen without bipartisan consensus, because it takes a two-thirds vote to discipline a representative and the Republicans have just a three-vote majority. It’s likely that Democrats would refuse to budge on Cherfilus-McCormick unless Mills goes as well.

That should be a bargain House members can live with, since in both cases, the stain of misconduct is deep enough to merit expulsion if they won’t resign.

Both parties would serve the public well by convincing Cherfilus-McCormick and Mills to resign simultaneously, with the backdrop of leadership united by the idea that Congress should never elevate party over the dignity of its body.

The Orlando Sentinel Editorial Board consists of Opinion Editor Krys Fluker, Executive Editor Roger Simmons and Viewpoints Editor Jay Reddick. Use insight@orlandosentinel.com to contact us.