Outgoing Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) has come under scrutiny after reportedly inviting a woman he was romantically involved with to testify as an expert witness at a House subcommittee hearing he organized, according to investigative journalist Roger Sollenberger.
Ethical Questions Raised
Sollenberger, who has reported on Mills for nearly two years, claimed on social media that the congressman planned to have his girlfriend appear before the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Oversight and Intelligence, which he chairs. No such hearing is currently listed on the committee’s public schedule. Sollenberger called the alleged arrangement unprecedented, stating he had never heard of a member of Congress bringing a ‘secret girlfriend’ as a policy witness.
The journalist also noted that Mills had made multiple trips to Syria without disclosing who funded the travel. One such trip in April 2025 saw Mills and Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) meet privately with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani without State Department or Capitol Police security details.
Existing Ethics Investigation
The House Ethics Committee had already launched an investigation into Mills last November, examining his financial disclosures, campaign finances, and allegations of improperly accepting gifts related to private travel. The probe also includes potential sexual misconduct and misuse of congressional resources, though the committee stressed this did not automatically indicate wrongdoing.
Mills, who lost his August primary by nearly 13 points to newscaster Ryan Elijah, has denied any misconduct. His office did not respond when questioned by media about the Syria trip. Policy analyst Kyle Shideler warned that such actions could create an ‘appearance of impropriety’ that foreign adversaries might exploit.
Shifting Syria Policy
The controversy comes amid changing U.S. policy toward Syria, which was removed from the state sponsors of terrorism list in August under Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Congress had previously repealed sanctions imposed during the Assad regime.
Sollenberger reported that Mills filed only one gift travel report with ethics officials by December and that details of a September 2025 solo trip to Syria—where he met with finance and IT ministers—remain undisclosed. With Mills leaving office in January, the potential hearing may never occur, though the allegations have reportedly alarmed some committee members.
Source: www.breitbart.com — https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2026/11/11/report-outgoing-rep-cory-mills-invited-woman-he-dated-as-hearing-witness/