Republican Reps. Nancy Mace and Cory Mills are feuding on social media about misconduct allegations and whether the other lawmaker deserves to remain in Congress amid the departures of several embattled members.
Ms. Mace of South Carolina has filed a resolution to expel Mr. Mills of Florida from the House, and Mr. Mills has drafted a retaliatory measure to expel her. Both lawmakers have denied the various allegations made against them, which the House Ethics Committee is investigating.
While neither has called for a vote on their respective expulsion measures, they have engaged in an intense war of words online.
Ms. Mace has called Mr. Mills a “monster,” “woman beater,” “sexual predator,” “corrupt dirtbag” and “pond scum.”
Mr. Mills says Ms. Mace is “peacocking” and attacking him for political theater to gin up donations for her gubernatorial campaign. He’s also called her a “hypocrite,” “opportunist” and “fake MAGA.”
The back-and-forth between the GOP lawmakers has played out for days now across numerous posts and replies on the social media site X.
It started last week when Ms. Mace called out Mr. Mills as one of four embattled members who should immediately exit Congress.
She also named Reps. Eric Swalwell, California Democrat, Tony Gonzales, Texas Republican, both of whom resigned later that day over sexual misconduct allegations, and Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, Florida Democrat.
Ms. Cherfilus-McCormick resigned this week just before the Ethics Committee was set to announce its recommended punishment for its findings that she illegally funneled pandemic-aid funds into her campaign.
“The American people deserve a Congress worthy of their trust,” Ms. Mace said. “The House needs to be cleaned out, and it starts with these four.”
On Monday, Ms. Mace introduced a resolution to expel Mr. Mills for a variety of misconduct allegations over which she previously tried to censure him, including stolen valor, dating violence and profiting off federal contracts.
The House voted to refer the censure measure to the Ethics Committee, which is investigating Mr. Mills over those charges and others related to campaign finance violations and improper gifts.
“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,” Ms. Mace said in one of her many posts pushing for expulsion. “Any Member who votes to keep him here is voting to protect a woman beater and a fraud.”
Mr. Mills has denied the allegations and prodded Ms. Mace to force a vote on the expulsion resolution, believing it would be unsuccessful.
Expulsion requires a two-thirds majority vote, and House leaders in both parties prefer not to consider such an extreme move without a recommendation from the Ethics Committee.
“What Nancy is saying is this: If you are accused or there’s an alleged incident, that’s enough for expulsion,” Mr. Mills told The Washington Times. “Well, her ex-fiance had her under a restraining order. She’s currently under an existing gag order. She’s still going through legal woes. She allegedly claimed vandalism outside of her House, but the surveillance video from her neighbors actually showed that she was the only one with a spray can.”
He also pointed to the Ethics Committee is investigating charges that Ms. Mace overcharged a taxpayer-funded program that reimburses lawmakers for housing expenses while working in Washington.
Mr. Mills declined to say definitively whether he would move to expel Ms. Mace if she forces a vote to oust him, but confirmed he drafted an expulsion resolution after she filed hers.
“The reality is that if I was to do the same political theatrics and dramatization that she’s done, I’d get more votes on the floor against her being expelled than I would myself,” he said.
Ms. Mace has not been intimated by Mr. Mills’ suggestion that he could turn the expulsion process back on her.
“Bring it on,” she said.
The days-long feud took a brief pause on Wednesday night as Ms. Mace said she was signing offline to bury her father who died last week.
“I’ll be back in Washington next week where I will dispose of you then,” she said in a post addressed to Mr. Mills. “Good riddance.”
Mr. Mills replied that she should be embarrassed to bring her late father into the fight.
“Just shows your real character,” he said. “May your father rest easy.”
Both lawmakers have received their share of criticisms over their public feud.
One constituent of Mr. Mills’ asked him to stop, saying it was “not a good look at all.”
He thanked the constituent for reaching out, but defended his actions.
“I’m sorry this is even needed but I don’t feel sitting back and allowing others to continue their lies is okay,” Mr. Mills said.
Mikel A. Norris, chair of the political science department at Coastal Carolina University, told The Times that Ms. Mace has a long-running feud with Mr. Mills, but that their recent online spat coming in the wake of a sexual misconduct reckoning in Congress is not surprising.
“Sexual abuse allegations, that’s something that Nancy Mace is very public about,” he said. “It’s not just him. It’s others as well. So it fits a narrative.”
Ms. Mace has spoken frequently about being a victim of sexual abuse, including by her ex Patrick Bryant.
The attorney representing the congresswoman in the House Ethics investigation on the housing reimbursement matter has said the complaint relies on “unverified assertions and materials” that likely originated from Mr. Bryant.
As Mr. Mills has been keen to point out, Mr. Bryant took out a restraining order against Ms. Mace to stop her from spreading what he called “baseless” allegations of sexual abuse. A judge involved in litigation surrounding the allegations has issued a gag order on all parties, including Ms. Mace.
Mr. Norris said he is unaware whether Ms. Mace has been fundraising off the feud with Mr. Mills, as the congressman alleges, but the professor said he would not dismiss the notion that the public acts are designed to keep her name in the news.
“She probably needs some exposure for the governor’s race,” he said. “So, this is as good as any, although I don’t know if it will help her.”
Mr. Norris pointed to polls showing Ms. Mace’s standing in the race slipping, although she remains close in the top three along with Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette and Attorney General Alan Wilson.
Asked whether Mr. Mills’ campaign against Ms. Mace could hurt her politically, he said, “It could.”
“But after everything that’s been going on the last several years, I often wonder if people even care anymore,” Mr. Norris said.
• Lindsey McPherson can be reached at lmcpherson@washingtontimes.com.
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