House Republicans were seething on Tuesday after their attempt to censure Del. Stacey Plaskett (D-VI) unexpectedly collapsed, with several members accusing GOP leaders of striking a quiet deal with Democrats to protect Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) from facing a similar punishment. The accusation quickly sparked infighting and frustration within the conference.
Initially, Republicans stood united and successfully blocked a Democratic motion to table the censure resolution targeting Plaskett. But just hours later, the effort unraveled. Three GOP lawmakers voted against the measure, three voted “present,” and four failed to show up, sinking the resolution outright.
Democrats had prepared a counterstrike if the Plaskett censure succeeded. Their plan was to trigger a corresponding vote to censure Mills, who has been dogged by allegations of stolen valor, financial misconduct, and domestic abuse—claims he has denied. The threat was enough to fracture GOP support.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) openly accused House leadership of cutting a deal to protect Mills. “The Plaskett censure failed because House leadership exchanged the vote to protect a Republican that’s having a lot of issues and should NOT seek re-election,” Luna said after the vote.
The showdown revived memories of a similar failed effort in September, when Republicans attempted to censure Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) over comments she made about the killing of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Democrats threatened retaliation then as well, and enough GOP members defected to kill that effort.
Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC) was furious, pointing to the unresolved stolen-valor accusations against Mills. “Another backroom deal so Cory Mills can’t get censored for Stolen Valor,” she said. “I have the General who ‘recommended’ him for the Bronze Star on record saying he never wrote it, never read it, and never personally signed it. This. Is. Washington.”
Rep. Kat Cammack (R-FL) also blasted her own party, saying: “Tonight, a handful of Republicans took a dive on a vote to strip Stacey Plaskett of her position on House intel because of her ties to Epstein. They did it to protect a Republican facing his own ethics issues from a similar vote. This backroom deal sh— is swampy, wrong and always deserves to be called out.”
The censure measure was brought forward by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) after revelations emerged that Plaskett exchanged text messages with Jeffrey Epstein on Feb. 27, 2019, during the House Oversight Committee’s hearing with Michael Cohen. Epstein reportedly coached her on what to ask and later texted, “Good work.” Norman’s resolution aimed to remove her from the Intelligence Committee and refer her to the Ethics Committee.
Norman blasted the failed vote afterward, saying the outcome showed how deeply entrenched Washington’s political protections have become. “This is the problem in Washington!! The establishment protects ITSELF, and the American people get pushed ASIDE,” he said. “What happened to accountability?”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-TN) echoed that outrage, calling the vote a clear sign of internal corruption. “This just tells you how corrupt this place is,” he said in a video on X. “Four Republicans chose not to vote, three voted ‘present,’ three voted no. So it failed. And what they did was, they cut a deal. To me, it’s really disgusting.”
Meanwhile, Mills—an Army veteran elected in 2022—continues to face months of controversy. Earlier this year, D.C. police opened an investigation into accusations that he assaulted a female Republican activist at his penthouse. Though she later recanted major parts of her account, police had prepared an arrest warrant. It was never signed by the acting U.S. attorney for D.C., leaving the matter unresolved.
