Rep. Corey Mills rejected comparisons this week to former lawmakers Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales, saying he should not be placed in the same category as men who left Congress amid separate scandals. Mills said he was not married at the time of the allegations against him, has never faced complaints from staffers or interns, and called the comparison unfair.
“I don’t even fall into the category of Swalwell and Gonzalez,” Mills said. “One, I’m not married, so there’s one thing. Two, I’ve never sexually harassed and or had any complaints by any staffers or interns on the Hill.” He added, “It’s just not even a fair comparison,” and called the backlash “a political Democrat tit for tat.”
The comments come as Mills remains under House Ethics investigation over a widening set of accusations that has shadowed his first years in Congress. The panel is examining domestic matters involving Sarah Raviani and Lindsey Langston, along with allegations that he profited from defense contracts while serving in Congress and exaggerated his military service.
Last year, Metropolitan Police investigated an allegation that Mills was involved in a domestic altercation with Raviani in a Washington apartment they shared. Raviani later chose not to press charges and criticized what she described as the politicization of the incident. Later, Langston said she had been living with Mills in New Smyrna Beach before they broke up after she learned of Raviani, and said he threatened to distribute intimate photos and videos. A judge then issued a restraining order against Mills.
Mills was married at the time of both instances but said he was legally separated. His divorce was finalized earlier this year. The scrutiny has kept him at the center of a House that has already seen ethics fallout, including last year’s panel finding that Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick was guilty of 25 charges of violating House rules and ethical guidelines.
That is why Mills’ attempt to draw a line between himself and Swalwell and Gonzales matters now: he is trying to frame the case as something different from the scandals that drove those men from Congress, even as his own ethics fight is still active. Swalwell resigned amid accusations of sexual harassment and sexual assault from staffers, and Gonzales resigned after questions about an affair with a staffer who later died by suicide. Mills, who did not resign, is still waiting on the outcome of the House inquiry.
