Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Wednesday that Rep. Cory Mills should be the next member to leave Congress, putting a House Ethics Committee investigation back into the spotlight as pressure on lawmakers accused of misconduct continues to build. “Frankly, I think Cory Mills should probably be on that list as well,” she said.
Ocasio-Cortez made the comment while saying she was glad that Eric Swalwell is leaving and glad that Tony Gonzales is leaving. Her remarks came after a House Ethics panel announced in November that it was investigating Mills, with the inquiry including accusations that he engaged in sexual misconduct and domestic violence.
The case against Mills has been marked by competing accounts and court action. Last year, Lindsey Langston accused him of repeatedly threatening to share videos of them having sex after she broke up with him, and said he threatened violence against anyone she later saw romantically. A judge later issued a restraining order against Mills and cited “reasonable cause to believe she is in imminent danger of becoming the victim of another act of dating violence.”
Another woman who said she had been in a long-term relationship with Mills accused him of assaulting her, and officers noted what they described as seemingly fresh bruises on her arm in a police report. Sarah Raviani later said the marks came from travel-related activities and recanted her accusations. The ethics inquiry has not produced a public finding, but Wednesday’s comments showed Mills remains under a cloud even as other lawmakers face exit calls for different allegations.
Swalwell resigned under allegations of sexual assault, while Gonzales resigned under allegations of misconduct. Mills has not followed them out the door, and the House Ethics Committee inquiry announced in November remains the unresolved piece that will determine whether the pressure around him turns into formal consequences.