Cory Mills
American businessman and politician (born 1980) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cory Lee Mills (born July 13, 1980) is an American politician, businessman, and Army veteran who has served as the U.S. representative from Florida's 7th congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a Trump appointee on the Defense Business Board from 2020 to 2021.[1]
Cory Mills | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2022 | |
| Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 7th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Stephanie Murphy |
| Member of the Defense Business Board | |
| In office December 4, 2020 – February 2, 2021 | |
| President | |
| Preceded by | Atul Vashisitha |
| Succeeded by | Joseph Votel |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Cory Lee Mills July 13, 1980 Winter Haven, Florida, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Rana Al Saadi (m. 2014) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Florida State College at Jacksonville (AA) American Military University (BS, MA) |
| Website | House website |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch/service | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1999–2003 |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Unit | 82nd Airborne Division |
| Battles/wars | Yugoslav Wars Iraq War |
| Awards | Bronze Star |
Born and raised in Central Florida, Mills joined the United States Army in 1999 and received the Bronze Star while serving as a U.S. Army sniper during a deployment to Iraq in 2003.[2] After working as a military contractor and graduating from American Military University, he co-founded PACEM Solutions International LLC in 2014. In December 2020, Mills was appointed to the Defense Business Board by President Donald Trump. In February 2021, he resigned from the board upon the request of President Joe Biden.
In 2022, Mills defeated state representative Anthony Sabatini and six others in the Republican primary for Florida's 7th congressional district. He went on to defeat Vice Chair of the Florida Democratic Party Karen Green in the general election. After facing minimal opposition in the Republican primary, Mills was re-elected in the 2024 general election.[3]
Early life and education
Cory Lee Mills was born on July 13, 1980, in Winter Haven, Florida, the son of Teresa (née Pearson) and Christopher Mills.[4] He earned an Associate of Arts degree in liberal arts and sciences from Florida State College at Jacksonville, followed by a Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences and a Master of Arts in international relations and conflict resolution from American Military University.[5]
Career and military service
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From 1999 to 2003, Mills served in the United States Army, where he was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division. He took part in Operation Allied Force during the Kosovo War in 1999. Mills was deployed to Iraq in 2003 and received the Bronze Star Medal.[2] From 2005 to 2009, he worked as a military contractor for DynCorp, where he was employed overseas in Iraq and Afghanistan before working as a maritime security specialist and anti-piracy adviser for Special Tactical Services. From 2010 to 2011, Mills worked as a security manager for Chemonics and then as a senior risk manager at Management Systems International.[6] Mills joined Pax Mondial LLC in 2011 and later worked as the organization's director of the information operations division and senior vice president.[7]
In 2014, Mills co-founded PACEM Solutions International LLC, a risk management and consulting firm. The following year, he co-founded PACEM Defense, a private security company.[8] In 2015, the United States Department of Defense facilitated a $228 million arms deal between PACEM and the government of Iraq. As of 2023, PACEM is indebted $48 million to a Canadian lender and has been forced to close its munitions plant twice by the Florida Department of Financial Services for failing to pay workers' compensation insurance premiums.[6] He is also co-founder of ALS Less-Lethal Systems, a company that manufactures equipment for military and law enforcement clients.[1]
In December 2020, Mills was appointed to the Defense Business Board, an advisory board established to provide independent advice, which reflects an outside private sector perspective, on best business practices for application to the Defense Department.[9][10] In February 2021, President Joe Biden ordered Secretary Lloyd Austin to suspend all members of the Pentagon's advisory boards, including the DBB, and request all Trump appointees step down, permanently.[11] He was succeeded by former SOCOM commander General Joseph Votel.[12]
U.S. House of Representatives
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Elections
2022
Mills announced his candidacy for the U.S. House of Representatives in Florida's 7th district in April 2021, challenging incumbent Democratic representative Stephanie Murphy.[13] Murphy's seat was a target for the National Republican Congressional Committee in the 2022 elections, but she announced her retirement in December 2021.[14] Redistricting made the 7th significantly more Republican than its predecessor, cutting out its share of Orlando (including Murphy's home) while adding a slice of increasingly Republican Volusia County.
Mills faced a crowded primary, with his strongest opponent being state representative Anthony Sabatini. Mills won the primary election in August 2022, earning over a third of the vote and beating Sabatini by over 10,000 votes.[15] Mills defeated Democratic nominee Karen Green in the November general election with 58.5% of the vote.[16]
Evacuation of an American family from Afghanistan
Mills, as a congressional candidate, in September 2021, evacuated a woman and her three children from Afghanistan during the 2021 American withdrawal. Initially, he was going to attempt to perform an airlift, but U.S. Central Command and the State Department denied the request. Instead, he had to evacuate the family by land.[17]
Tenure
Mills handed out commemorative 40 mm grenades stamped with the Republican Party logo to fellow House members as a welcoming gift.[18]
In May 2023, Mills co-sponsored a resolution by Marjorie Taylor Greene to impeach President Joe Biden over his handling of security at the United States-Mexico border.[19] On May 23, 2023, he also co-sponsored Greene's resolutions to impeach Attorney General Merrick Garland,[20] FBI director Christopher Wray,[21] Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas,[22] and U.S. attorney for D.C. Matthew M. Graves.[23]
In October 2023, Mills traveled to Israel to help evacuate 77 Americans in the wake of the Hamas October 7 attack.[24]
Mills also helped airlift 10 Americans who were volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti, amidst Haiti's state of crisis. He also criticized Biden's handling of the crisis and similar crises.[25] Later, he helped rescue an additional 13 people.[26]
Syria
In 2023, Mills was among 47 Republicans to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21, which directed President Joe Biden to remove U.S. troops from Syria within 180 days.[27][28]
Following the fall of the Assad regime, Mills and fellow Republican representative Marlin Stutzman became the first American politicians to visit post-Ba'athist Syria. Both met new Syrian president Ahmed al-Sharaa and the country's Christian leaders on April 18, 2025.[29] Mills described the visit, which came as the Trump administration was considering sanctions relief on Syria, as a "tremendous amount of opportunity here to help rebuild the nation but also to help with stabilization across the region."[30]
2024 presidential election
Mills became the fourth representative from Florida to endorse Donald Trump for president in the 2024 presidential election, citing the need for Republican unity following Trump's indictment.[31]
Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023
Mills was among the 71 Republicans who voted against final passage of the Fiscal Responsibility Act of 2023 in the House.[32]
Committee assignments
For the 118th Congress:[33]
Ethics investigation
The board of the independent Office of Congressional Ethics investigated inconsistent financial statements in August 2024; their report stated "The OCE found that from January 2023 to present, Pacem Defense/ALS, has been actively contracting with the federal government, securing close to $1,000,000 in federal contracts for munitions and weapons, distributed to prisons across the country...Specifically, since January 9, 2024, 94 contracts have been awarded to entities owned by Rep. Mills."[34]
Mills denied wrongdoing and did not cooperate with the OCE's investigations, refusing to provide tax returns or explain the ownership structure of his companies.[34] On March 27, 2025, the House Ethics Committee announced it would investigate Mills for violating federal laws and House rules that prohibit members of Congress from contracting with the government.[35]
Electoral history
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cory Mills | 27,452 | 38.06 | |
| Republican | Anthony Sabatini | 17,059 | 23.65 | |
| Republican | Brady Duke | 11,010 | 15.26 | |
| Republican | Ted Edwards | 4,197 | 5.82 | |
| Republican | Russell Roberts | 3,970 | 5.50 | |
| Republican | Erika Benfield | 3,912 | 5.42 | |
| Republican | Scott Sturgill | 3,055 | 4.24 | |
| Republican | Al Santos | 1,480 | 2.05 | |
| Total votes | 72,135 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cory Mills | 177,966 | 58.53 | |
| Democratic | Karen Green | 126,079 | 41.47 | |
| Write-in | Cardon Pompey | 10 | 0.00 | |
| Total votes | 304,045 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican gain from Democratic | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cory Mills (incumbent) | 43,096 | 80.09 | |
| Republican | Mike Johnson | 10,188 | 19.1 | |
| Total votes | 53,284 | 100.00 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Cory Mills (incumbent) | 233,937 | 56.5 | |
| Democratic | Jennifer Adams | 179,917 | 43.5 | |
| Total votes | 413,854 | 100.00 | ||
| Republican hold | ||||
Personal life
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Mills is Catholic. He is married to his wife Rana Al Saadi, an Iraqi refugee who gained naturalized American citizenship and served in the first Trump administration.[40] They were married at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, by Sheikh Mohammed Al-Hanooti in 2014. They have a son together and live in New Smyrna Beach, Florida.[33] Mills has a second son.[41]
Alleged assault
On February 21, 2025, the Metropolitan Police Department announced they were investigating an alleged physical assault of a woman by Mills. The woman was not Mills' wife.[42] According to the police report of the incident, the alleged victim stated that Mills "grabbed her, shoved her, and pushed her out of the door." Mills was not arrested, because the alleged victim recanted details of the incident.[43]
On February 24, it was revealed that the Metropolitan Police Department sent an arrest warrant for Mills to interim U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia Ed Martin on February 21, but, for unclear reasons, it was not signed by Martin.[44] This led to MSNBC News Producer Steve Benen speculating that the arrest warrant was not signed because Martin wanted to "go easy on a Republican member of Congress as part of a broader political agenda".[45]
Mills has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing in the matter.[43][46]
References
External links
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