Conspiracy: Does rogue FBI agent put freedom of speech at risk?



FBI Special Agent Shay Talley-Bradley represented herself as doing an official investigation for the FBI, investigating Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.). She insisted she was digging into stolen-valor claims — before changing it to looking into his business dealings.

“This should shock the conscience of anybody who believes that the FBI should be, or in fact now has been, renovated into an objective force for good,” FBI whistleblower Steve Friend tells BlazeTV hosts Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson on “Blaze News | The Mandate.”

“The fact of the matter is that the conduct of this agent — the fact that she engaged in an either off-the-books or some sort of coercive investigative matter, a sensitive investigative matter, and involved herself in a deprivation of rights, a color of law violation — speaks volumes of the fact that the rot exists not just at the very tippy top of the FBI,” he continues.


Investigative journalist Steve Baker decided to look into Talley-Bradley’s investigation himself, after the Florida-based special agent interviewed three sources who contributed to recent Blaze News investigative stories on Mills.

Talley-Bradley initially told the sources that she was investigating the stolen-valor claims, before pivoting to his alleged business dealings. While the sources provided her with the contact information of at least five individuals who had direct knowledge of Mills’ military background, she did not follow up with those individuals.

“Are you aware that Blaze Media just came out with a story about you today and your relationship to Congressman Cory Mills?” Baker asked Talley-Bradley in a video captured by Blaze Media.

“I still have no idea what you’re talking about, sir,” Talley-Bradley responded.

“Is it true that you tried to recruit a source as an undercover operative to investigate a Blaze Media journalist?” Baker asked, before the special agent repeated that she had “no idea” what he was talking about.

Friend is disturbed by her conduct and believes it could result in criminal charges.

“The FBI furnishes you credentials,” he comments. “You’re not a secret agent as much as you might be working on things that you think are secret or classified. You’re supposed to furnish those credentials upon request to anyone. You’re supposed to be a public servant, and the fact that she’s denying that, I think, also speaks volumes again to her character.”

“Let’s say she ran background checks on anybody over at the Blaze for investigation of people, for engaging in their First Amendment protected activity — freedom of the press, freedom of speech. That, again, is a violation of database use. That’s another deprivation of rights,” Friend tells Savage and Peterson.

“So, it could be a multiple-count charge criminally against this agent,” he adds.

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Going rogue? FBI agent gathered information from private citizens questioning Rep. Cory Mills’ record



A Florida-based FBI special agent interviewed three sources who contributed to recent Blaze News investigative stories on U.S. Rep. Cory L. Mills (Fla.), prying for details on what they know about Mills, collecting names of other people investigating Mills, and even asking one source to become a paid FBI informant.

Blaze News asked the FBI if the bureau had opened an investigation into Blaze News' story sources or was using law enforcement resources to learn the scope of planned news coverage. Blaze News has been probing the growing questions swirling around Mills, 44, a second-term Republican representing Florida’s 7th Congressional District.

The FBI told Blaze News it would investigate to determine whether this purported investigation is an official FBI case or if something else is going on.

“We are not aware of the conduct in question but will review the matter immediately,” an FBI spokesperson told Blaze News in a statement May 16. “As always, any unethical behavior will be addressed swiftly and appropriately.”

The spokesperson added, “Senior leadership was made aware of the situation.”

The rare public statement is notable, as the FBI does not usually comment on such cases.

Suspicious interviews

Special Agent Shay D. Talley-Bradley of the FBI’s Orlando Resident Agency conducted multiple interviews with the three Blaze News sources via telephone, two at an area Florida Starbucks, and one face-to-face interview at the home of a news source, Blaze News has learned.

Screenshot of City of Ocoee, Florida, website promoting an event with Talley-Bradley

Talley-Bradley initially told the sources that the FBI was conducting a stolen-valor investigation into Mills, a veteran of the 82nd Airborne Division who has been accused of lying about his background and falsely claiming to have been an elite Army Ranger.

Later, Talley-Bradley changed the story, saying the investigation now focused on Mills’ business dealings, multiple sources told Blaze News. Mills founded two companies active in overseas arms trading and owns a third that sells “less lethal” munitions for law enforcement and military applications.

Blaze News approached Talley-Bradley outside an event in Ocoee, Florida, and asked about Cory Mills and her alleged investigation. She repeatedly said she had "no idea" what we were "talking about."

Although several of the sources provided Talley-Bradley with contact information for at least five individuals with direct knowledge of Mills’ military service and his work for a State Department security contractor, they said Talley-Bradley never followed up or conducted interviews with four of those people.

'An agent found to be operating outside the scope of their assigned duties would be open to an investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility.'

Talley-Bradley might have violated FBI protocols in the interviews by apparently not recording phone calls for the purpose of creating investigative documents known as Form 302s, not taking notes during the interviews, visiting a source’s home with no other agent present, often communicating via text, and telling sources not to send documents to her official FBI email.

The agent’s frequent queries and unusual behavior led two Blaze News sources to suspect that they were the real targets of the FBI probe. At one point in the Blaze News investigation, one of the sources, fearful of being targeted, asked to withdraw information he provided to Blaze News for a series of stories that began May 7.

Steve Friend, a former FBI special agent in the bureau’s Daytona Beach Resident Agency, said any investigation targeting a member of Congress would be a “Sensitive Investigative Matter,” requiring several layers of approval at the highest levels of the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice.

“This is a SIM. No way phone and email interviews would be done,” Friend told Blaze News. “They are allowed, but only in rare situations. In-person would be attempted. And never text messages.”

While it’s not unusual for FBI agents to conduct a more casual interview without recording or taking notes, several former FBI special agents told Blaze News, if the investigation involves a congressman, more stringent rules apply.

Frederick W. Humphries II, a retired former supervisory special agent of the FBI, told Blaze News, “An agent found to be operating outside the scope of their assigned duties would be open to an investigation by the Office of Professional Responsibility. Upon OPR review, recommendations can range from a formal letter of censure, to suspension without pay, to removal from the rolls of the FBI.”

Humphries said that in 2017, FBI agents were told to stop investigating stolen-valor complaints unless they involved allegations that stolen valor was used as a tool in fundraising fraud.

In 2013, 18 U.S. Code § 704 was amended to punish those who fraudulently hold themselves out as recipients of military decorations or medals “with the intent to obtain money, property or other tangible benefit.” The crime is a misdemeanor with a maximum penalty of one year in jail.

Blaze News investigation

Mills has come under recent scrutiny for his claims about his military service, his employment as a security contractor in Iraq, his religious faith, and his year-long relationship with an Iranian-American activist while still married, among other issues.

The investigation started when BlazeTV host Jill Savage, also an active member of Blaze News’ investigative team, started looking into Mills’ record following reports of a domestic disturbance call by his girlfriend at his house in February 2025. This led to confirmation of Mills’ curious marriage certificate and reports of stolen valor.

RELATED: GOP Rep. Cory Mills explains why he was married by a radical Islamic cleric

Jill Savage discusses the origin of the Cory Mills story on "Blaze News: The Mandate."

Blaze News initially reported on Mills’ 2014 marriage to Rana Al Saadi that took place at the terror-tied Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Falls Church, Virginia, before they started an international arms business together.

In a 50-minute call with Blaze News, Mills said he has always been Christian and went forward with the marriage in a mosque to ensure that his wife would be safe visiting a dying relative in Iraq.

A follow-up article from Blaze News reported that five people have now claimed that Mills told them directly that he converted to Islam around the time of his marriage.

These former co-workers and fellow veterans accused Mills of stolen valor, saying Mills falsely claimed to be an Army Ranger medic and an experienced military sniper.

In March, Savage listened to a “Green Beret Chronicles” podcast on Mills featuring William Kern, a Houston-based former U.S. Marine counter-sniper who worked with Mills at DynCorp carrying out protective missions in Iraq, and Bobby Oller, a former 82nd Airborne paratrooper, squad leader, and master gunner who served in Afghanistan and as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. After she reached out to them for Blaze News, she and the investigative team began to contact others.

These former co-workers and fellow veterans accused Mills of stolen valor, saying Mills falsely claimed to be an Army Ranger medic and an experienced military sniper. They also said Mills’ nomination form for a Bronze Star medal contained false information. Mills wrongly claimed to have been “blown up” twice while working for security contractor DynCorp in the Middle East, multiple sources told Blaze News.

In his call with Blaze News, Mills denied the accusations of stolen valor. When asked why he thought these accusations were being made by others who were there, he said: “They’re entitled to have a different recollection. And some of them, obviously, I didn’t have a great relationship with, and I’m sure some are probably disgruntled.”

He also accused Blaze News of writing a hit piece and threatened legal action.

RELATED: Stolen valor? Veterans dispute Cory Mills’ record: 'He fooled a lot of us

Jill Savage and Peter Gietl discuss the Cory Mills ‘stolen valor’ story on "Blaze News: The Mandate."

Official Mills investigation?

Kern said he had become suspicious of Mills’ claims about his military record and security work. Kern contacted the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in August 2024 to report what he believed were instances of stolen valor.

William Kern. Photo given to Blaze News

Kern said FDLE Inspector Richard Gibbs encouraged him to report the information to the FBI and the House Committee on Ethics, which opened an investigation on Mills during the 118th Congress that was extended into the current 119th Congress. The congressional probe is not related to the accusations of stolen valor.

A Florida law that will take effect July 1 prohibits candidates, elected public officers, appointed representatives, and public employees “from knowingly making certain fraudulent representations relating to military service.” A violation of that law will be a third-degree felony.

On Aug. 11, 2024, Kern called the FBI’s national intake hotline and left a message, asking for a call-back to report Mills as a case of stolen valor. Kern said he never got a reply.

That same day, Kern received an anonymous phone text from a spoofed Washington, D.C., number suggesting that he could be the target of an investigation for a visit he made to Cambodia.

“We are investigating links to you and others you worked with, some who are currently living abroad, to sex/human exploitation in many countries during your time working for a U.S. contractor,” the message read. “Cambodia and other information has been mentioned in messages.”

Screenshot obtained by Blaze News

Months later, Kern got a voicemail, a text, and an email from Talley-Bradley. He told Blaze News that the agent’s messages said she was contacting him about Mills. Kern said he assumed this was related to his August 2024 call to the FBI and his interaction with the FDLE agent.

During a 90-minute phone call in late November 2024, Talley-Bradley told Kern she was “referred” onto the case and asked what he knew about Mills, he told Blaze News. He said he gave her information about the doubts surrounding Mills’ military record and work as a security contractor for the State Department. The agent did not indicate that she was recording the interview, he said.

'If you are not an actual FBI agent, I will be submitting all of these text messages as evidence of a federal crime.'

Over the following months, Kern said, he had several text exchanges with Talley-Bradley. In late March, Kern had to make a business trip to Orlando and arranged a meeting with Talley-Bradley. Kern said he added a day on each end of his business trip in order to have a face-to-face meeting with Talley-Bradley.

He said after agreeing to meet, Talley-Bradley said she had to leave town. She offered to have him meet instead with someone she said was a Department of Defense investigator named Mike Scherach.

“I am going to hand off the interview to my co-case agent,” Talley-Bradley texted, according to screenshots provided to Blaze News by Kern. “His name is Mike Scherach, he is with Department of Defense … we have been working this case jointly. Please expect to hear from him in the coming days.”

Kern said he was never contacted by Scherach. Talley-Bradley told him the DOD investigator also had to leave town, Kern said, so there would be no face-to-face meeting.

Growing more suspicious about Talley-Bradley and the purported investigation, Kern asked the agent to confirm that she really works for the FBI.

“At this point I don’t know what else to do other than go to the FBI here in Houston to confirm your identity,” Kern wrote in a text. “If you are not an actual FBI agent, I will be submitting all of these text messages as evidence of a federal crime.”

Talley-Bradley replied with the phone number for the FBI’s Tampa division and suggested that he call and ask if she is an agent in the Orlando Resident Agency.

Kern said he began to suspect that Talley-Bradley was not investigating Mills at all, but perhaps that he himself was the target. He contacted the FBI to confirm that Talley-Bradley was actually an FBI special agent. A supervisory special agent did call Kern back, but Kern was unavailable at the time and did not return the call, he said.

“I knew this was all bulls**t on about May 8, when I learned Shay was not contacting the most important names we’d given her,” Kern said, “the prime sources on the stolen valor issue.”

Kern said he was also suspicious that “no local agent ever came out to interview me and do an official, recorded interview. Nothing seemed normal to me.”

Names given to Talley-Bradley as possible sources for her investigation included Max Woodside, Jesse Parks, Scott Kempkins, and Bobby Oller. All but Oller told Blaze News they never received communication from Talley-Bradley. The men were also news sources for Blaze News' series on Mills.

Oller said he started investigating Mills for possible stolen valor in April 2024.

Bobby Oller. Photo given to Blaze News

Oller, who knew Kern from working at DynCorp, said Kern told him the FBI would reach out to him about Mills’ alleged stolen valor. When Oller didn’t hear anything from the FBI, he emailed Talley-Bradley on April 18, 2025, to report what he knew. The agent suddenly didn’t seem interested in the topic of stolen valor, he said.

Oller spoke via phone with Talley-Bradley on May 1. When Oller dove into the stolen-valor details, he said Talley-Bradley stopped him. “Whoa, this is a lot. I can’t do all this right now,” Oller quoted her as saying. “Hold tight, and keep doing what you’re doing.”

Oller said Talley-Bradley then asked him about his background and whether he was some kind of investigator. “No, I’m a diesel mechanic,” Oller said he told her. She said she would call him back in a week or so. That never happened.

The interactions left Oller worried. “I now had the impression she was investigating me,” he told Blaze News.

Jade A. Murray, owner and operator of CoryMillsWatch.com, a website dedicated to investigating Mills, said Talley-Bradley showed up on her doorstep on Dec. 3, 2024, asking about Mills for a stolen-valor investigation. Talley-Bradley showed her badge and FBI credentials, Murray said. The two stood on the front porch and spoke for a few minutes, she said.

Jade Murray. Photo given to Blaze News

Murray, of Altamonte Springs, Florida, said she met with Talley-Bradley at a local Starbucks on Dec. 20, 2024, and again on April 11, 2025. During the second Starbucks meeting, Murray said, the agent asked about others who had provided information to her about Mills.

Talley-Bradley told her that because Mills had “plausible deniability” and there wasn’t enough “there there” on the stolen-valor claims, the FBI was dropping that investigative angle.

Now the agent said she wanted to talk about Mills’ business dealings, Murray said. The agent asked if Murray would become a paid undercover FBI informant to investigate “another lady.” Murray said she enthusiastically agreed but never learned the identity of the target.

“I was just happy something was being done,” Murray told Blaze News.

'I now had to assume that Cory Mills could have known that I was working this story.'

Murray said Talley-Bradley did not record any of their conversations or even take written notes. “She was just sipping her coffee,” Murray said. “It was very casual.”

Murray asked for the agent’s email address so she could send documents about Mills from her own stolen-valor investigations. Talley-Bradley told Murray she didn’t want to receive any documents via email and she should “let her know about any updates to the [Cory Mills] website.”

On March 31, Kern told Jill Savage — a BlazeTV anchor and part of the Blaze News team investigating Mills — that he would forward her contact information to Talley-Bradley. “I think the work and research you have done would be helpful to them [at the FBI],” Kern said. Savage told Kern she was willing to speak with Talley-Bradley, since “there are a lot of things that do not add up when it comes to Mills, so I was glad to hear someone was looking into this.”

Twelve days later, Talley-Bradley tried to recruit Murray as an undercover paid informant to help investigate “another lady,” according to Murray. The only other woman among the sources provided to Talley-Bradley was Savage.

“When I heard this, my first thought was that I now had to assume that Cory Mills could have known that I was working this story since March 31 when Kern told the agent about me,” Savage said. “Because when I heard how these interviews were being conducted, I thought something was not right — and there was a real possibility that it was an off-books investigation.”

Jill Savage begins work on the Cory Mills investigation.

When asked if she thought she could have been the “lady” Talley-Bradley had in mind, Savage said, “Yes, that could have referred to me. Because why would Agent Talley-Bradley need to change her approach? Why would she have to go through someone else? Was it because she knew she couldn’t directly approach a journalist?”

Blaze News editor in chief Matthew Peterson said, “If an FBI agent is falsely presenting themselves to private citizens as if they are investigating a case for the FBI, when in fact they are not, that agent should lose their job. What makes this apparent investigation into our sources even worse is that it interfered with private citizens who are simply questioning the record of a member of Congress.”

“We need to know why this agent was gathering this information and for what purpose. We do not have enough evidence yet to answer these questions. If this was not an official FBI investigation, was she investigating a member of Congress on her own or was she actually gathering information on everyone researching him and trying to speak out about his record?”

Cory Mills was asked questions about and for comment on this story, but he did not reply.

Jill Savage, Matthew Peterson, and Peter Gietl contributed to this story.

Stolen valor? Veterans dispute Cory Mills’ record: 'He fooled a lot of us'



Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida built his political career with stories of heroism in the U.S. Army and as a private military operative, but several former colleagues say he exaggerated or lied about being “blown up” twice in Iraq, being an Army Ranger, training as an 18 Delta Special Forces Medical Sergeant, being a military-trained sniper, and saving the lives of two soldiers wounded by enemy fire. They also allege he walked away from his post in Iraq when his employer asked him to verify his service record.

As much time and energy as Mills has spent promoting his history, he’s now running from some of the details as the men he served with and the media are increasingly questioning his record, his personal life — and his truthfulness.

RELATED: 5 former colleagues of Rep. Cory Mills say he told them he became a Muslim — as girlfriend claims Blaze News report 'entirely untrue'

Mills is under new and intense scrutiny after Blaze News revealed that he was married in 2014 by a radical imam in Falls Church, Va. The imam, Sheikh Mohammed Al-Hanooti, was a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, a fundraiser for the terror group Hamas, and an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center in New York. The wedding took place at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center, where two of the 9/11 hijackers once attended and where notorious terror leader and al-Qaeda propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki was an imam.

'People could have f**king died depending upon him if he failed to perform.'

Mills has consistently presented himself as a Christian since he ran for Congress, but there continues to be controversy over whether Mills converted to Islam in order to marry Rana Al Saadi in 2014. His girlfriend recently told the Daily Mail "that the claims made in the Blaze article are entirely untrue,” while five former associates, including one on the record, told Blaze News that Mills told them he had converted at the time of his wedding.

'It just started to make sense. It was like, "Oh well, he couldn’t f**king run any more. He couldn’t hide any more." Why else would someone do this?'

Many former associates also recently went on the record with Blaze News to dispute his record of accomplishments overseas. “He has a monstrous gift of bulls**t, and it’s impressive,” said Jesse Parks, Mills’ supervisor during the last of his time with DynCorp. “It’s also pathetic. Because [the way] I look at it is people could have f**king died depending upon him if he failed to perform.”

“He’s handsome, he’s charismatic; he has always used that [to] his benefit,” said William Kern, a former U.S. Marine counter-sniper who worked with Mills at DynCorp carrying out security missions in Iraq. “So, you know, he fooled a lot of us.”

Leaving DynCorp

Multiple men who worked with Mills at military contractor DynCorp International told Blaze News that when the company demanded that employees verify their military service, training, and qualifications at the request of the U.S. State Department, Mills delayed until the deadline, then disappeared, leaving his rifle and gear laid out on his bed. They say he never returned and that fellow soldiers searched for him to no avail.

Parks said he warned Mills and other soldiers that they needed to turn in documentation of their military record and achievements to meet a demand made by the U.S. State Department in early 2009. He said that for weeks, Mills did not comply. On the day of the deadline, he said he again warned Mills to turn in his proof of credentials.

'He literally walked off of the US consulate in the middle of the night under darkness.'

“I found Cory and I told him flat out, ‘Cory, if I don’t have your bio and your supporting documentation in my hand by 1900 hours [7 p.m.] today, you have to go get on an airplane tomorrow morning at 10:00 a.m. and leave.”

Parks said after issuing the order, “That was the last I saw Cory, because he piled up all of his DynCorp s**t and his State Department serialized items, weapons, this, that, and the other, on his bed, and he walked out the gate. Nobody ever saw him again.”

Parks said he was the one “who f**king fired him.”

Kern said the next morning, during his run, people began to notice that Mills was no longer around. “What’s going on with Cory? No one can find him. He left his radio, his Glock, his sniper rifle, and his M4 on his bed,” Kern said. “And he literally walked off of the U.S. consulate in the middle of the night under darkness. He walked out the back gate. We have video of that.”

Kern said once they determined Mills left on his own, “It just started to make sense. It was like, ‘Oh well, he couldn’t f**king run any more. He couldn’t hide any more.’ Why else would someone do this? Why would someone walk away from a $200,000-a-year job? I mean, just submit your s**t, dude.”

Mills said the story about how he left DynCorp in Iraq was “bulls**t.”

“No one walks off in the middle of the night unarmed in Iraq,” Mills said. “All right? Let’s just put it first like that. I put my gear on the bed and walk out in the middle of the night? No.”

Mills said he requested early release so that he could return to the United States with his girlfriend, who was leaving around the same time.

“I’m sorry, but I didn’t go walk around and knock on everyone’s door to go, ‘Hey, by the way, guys, I ended up getting a contract release for two days,’” Mills said.

“Like, a week or two weeks earlier than my contract was set to expire, because I wanted to go home with a nice girlfriend,” Mills explained.

“This is the thing that’s so ridiculous about these types of fabricated nonsense, is that, I mean, it’s so outlandish.”

'Blown up' twice?

Mills has often made the claim that he was “blown up” twice while on missions in Iraq for DynCorp.

He points to a certificate of appreciation he received from the U.S. embassy in Baghdad as proof of his brave actions. The certificate reads, “In grateful recognition of your prompt and brave action when your motorcades were hit by an EFP on March 15 and April 19, 2006. You exhibited the highest caliber of professionalism and your actions saved the lives of your comrades.”

Kern said there were blank templates of the certificate floating around. “There were [around] 35 guys that got that same thing,” he said.

The first incident, on March 15, 2006, involved a motorcade that got blown up by a roadside bomb. Blaze News confirmed that Mills was present at this scene. However, photographic evidence and sources have called into question the seriousness of his injuries.

'It would have been impossible for him to be wounded.'

Mills told Blaze News he suffered a concussion when the Suburban SUV in which he was riding was damaged by an IED. “I ended up hitting my head,” he said. “… Was it some severe, maiming wound? No. I’ve got the actual document that shows where I was hit.”

“Why are you saying on your website that you were wounded, and now you're telling me a different story?” Blaze News asked Mills.

“I had a concussion. So a concussion isn't being wounded? Knocking your head off an actual armored vehicle door and having to go get treated and have three days down, that's not being wounded, right? So what is your definition? Do I need to lose an arm? Do I need to be shot in shrapnel? Just tell me. Tell me what your definition of wounded is. Because apparently, [traumatic brain injury] is not an external wound.”

Blaze News pressed him on his claim that he suffered from a traumatic brain injury. Mills responded: “No, I actually just got reviewed by the PA and the doctor there, and they basically told me to monitor myself for the next 24 hours.”

RELATED: STOLEN VALOR: Tim Walz allegedly LIED about his military service; abandoned his unit

Photo courtesy of Scott Kempkins

On April 19, 2006, in a separate incident, Mills’ motorcade was hit by a roadside bomb as it made its way toward the Ministry of Electricity. According to a summary report obtained by Blaze News, the two lead vehicles in the convoy had turned right toward the Ministry of Electricity when the following Humvee was struck by an array of explosively formed penetrators with five or six linked devices.

Mills’ vehicle was allegedly 50 yards away from the one that sustained bomb damage, and his colleagues said he was never wounded.

A photograph provided to Blaze News by Scott Kempkins, one of Mills' colleagues who was wounded in the attack, shows Mills with a large bloodstain on his right pant leg after the mission. Kempkins and others who were there said that the blood did not belong to Mills.

Courtesy of Scott Kempkins

“Cory was absolutely not wounded,” said Scott Kempkins, who suffered injuries from the bomb. “While Sergeant Ray was bleeding quite a bit, it definitely was not life-threatening, so that blood on Cory’s pants was from Sergeant Ray. He didn't need to lie about anything.”

Kempkins said he was behind the driver of the Humvee when the bomb blew.

“I got hit in the shoulder, the neck, and the leg,” Kempkins said. “And then the guy in the turret took a little bit of shrapnel to the side of his face. That was it. Cory’s vehicle was already around the corner and about 50 yards down the street. It would have been impossible for him to be wounded.”

Cory Mills (middle) and Scott Kempkins (right).Courtesy of Scott Kempkins

Chase Nash, who rode in the same vehicle as Mills in the motorcade, agreed.

“I just want to be very, very clear that there was one vehicle that was hit that actually took a blast, and it wasn’t the vehicle that I was in and it wasn’t the vehicle Cory was in, that vehicle I was in,” Nash said. “I wasn’t wounded. Cory was not wounded. I know for a fact that is true. Cory was not wounded.”

Kern said it makes no sense for Mills to lie about being blown up, because he did render medical aid to the men in the Humvee and accompanied them to the battalion aid station.

“If Cory had just told the truth, it would have been extremely honorable,” Kern said. “But Cory was never, ever blown up as a private security contractor. … You can look at all the State Department documents on when people were injured, contractors were injured. Cory was never injured. His name will never come up because it never happened.”

Kempkins gave Mills credit for the medic work he did after the explosion, but said the injuries were not life-threatening.

“Credit where credit’s due. He bandaged everybody up, we went to the aid station, and they flew us to the green zone,” Kempkins said. “Now having said that, any basic medic could have done exactly what he did. Nobody was life-threatening. There were no severe amputations where [some]body had an arm blown off or a leg or anything like that.”

Mills further confirmed that he was not in the vehicle that was hit the second time, despite his congressional website claiming that he was struck twice: “That's correct.”

Other claims draw fire

Mills’ colleagues said he lied about other things, claiming to have been with the Army 75th Ranger Regiment based at Fort Benning, Georgia. Max Woodside, who was at one time Mills' team leader, told Blaze News, “I bought all of his bulls**t. He told me he was a Ranger. I didn’t vet him or anything. He told me all the cool-guy s**t. I didn’t know.” Woodside said that, all things considered, Mills “performed well at every mission we were on. He perpetrated the lie, and then he performed well.”

But Woodside echoed many of Mills' other former colleagues when he told Blaze News that “I had to earn my rights, I had to earn my stripes, and I had to earn my abilities to be able to do things I did. And he didn’t.”

Parks said that a veteran who retired from the Rangers and later worked for DynCorp confronted Mills about his tall tales.

“One day, our deputy project manager ... who retired from the 75th Ranger Regiment, flat stopped Cory in the street, and he says, ‘If I hear one more time that you have said you were a Ranger, I’m gonna beat your ass within an inch of your life and send you home on a medical flight,’” Parks recalled.

Mills (left) poses with members of the Army 75th Ranger Regiment.Courtesy of Scott Kempkins

To be a Ranger medic, Mills would have had to go through an advanced 42-week course to become an 18 Delta: Special Forces Medical Sergeant. According to his official DD-214 form, Mills was a combat medic certified with the “Emergency Medical Technician Course” in 1999. His primary specialty, denoted by the Military Occupational Specialty code “91W2P 00,” corresponds with “Health Care Specialist.” There is no mention of service in the elite Army Rangers, although he has described himself as one in the past.

Screenshot from a 2015 Vice article.

Kempkins said when the DynCorp operation had to move to Northern Iraq after losing the government contract for Baghdad, he started to notice Mills’ stories.

“We started hearing the stories [that Mills was claiming] he was a Ranger and all this other stuff,” Kempkins said.

'This guy doesn’t know s**t about being a sniper.'

DynCorp sent Mills to its sniper school based on his claims of having prior experience. The truth of these claims has since been called into question. Mills’ talk about being an expert sniper also raised eyebrows among his DynCorp co-workers.

“He was supposed to have been this super-duper military-trained sniper and all this s**t, and they [DynCorp] sent him to their sniper school,” Parks said. “He got through it, but he really struggled. It was like he was learning it for the first time, as one of them told me. If he was some hot-s**t sniper from the Army, it should have been a breeze.”

Parks said Mills’ former colleagues “want some f**king answers from Cory.”

“I like guys that go to Ranger school, guys that went to sniper school,” Parks said. “I mean, these are very long, hard courses. And not everybody graduates from this. And for him to basically say that he had done all of those things, there's some really tough [questions].”

Mills was able to enroll in a course to become a Designated Defense Marksman, which is supposed to be limited to those who attended an accredited military sniper school.

“I've never ever heard of us giving up a sniper slot to send a medic,” said Bobby Oller, a former 82nd Airborne paratrooper, squad leader, and master gunner who served in Afghanistan and as part of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He later worked for DynCorp. “What does that serve the unit? And what aspect ever on the battlefield would it have to have your medic as the sniper?

“Is he gonna set his rifle down and run over and help somebody?” Oller said. “You know that would never happen whatsoever. I mean, it’s just, it’s not even fathomable.”

When the State Department snipers working for DynCorp had to go to the range to re-qualify, some noticed peculiarities about Mills and his approach.

“We would look over, and Cory would be doing s**t on ballistic calculators, you know, like apps,” Kern said. “Everyone’s sitting there going, ‘Dude, it literally takes you longer to put the information in than it should take you to do this in your head.’”

“So everyone was picking up on stuff like that. ‘Cory, what the f**k do you mean? You’re asking what grain bullet we’re using? Dude, we only use match ammo. It’s 168 grain. It’s the same s**t you’ve been shooting in the military as a sniper. What are you talking about, Cory? Why are you asking a dumb question like that?’”

Kern said Mills didn’t speak the “verbiage” common to snipers.

“I’ve trained with SS snipers. I’ve trained with SEAL snipers. I’ve trained with law enforcement, L.A. County SWAT guys,” Kern said. “I know and I understand that we all have different training, and I understand that the formulas are different.”

“But the stuff that [Mills] was saying … I remember thinking, ‘What are we doing? Is this out of a movie?’ Snipers have a verbiage … sniper observer monologue. … This guy doesn’t know s**t about being a sniper.”

According to Mills’ application for a promotion to shift leader at DynCorp, he served as a medic in the 75th Ranger Regiment and received training at the U.S. Army Sniper School in November 2002. Those alleged facts are not on his DD-214 discharge paperwork, and several of his DynCorp colleagues say they are false.

RELATED: Maryland Gov. Moore calls stolen valor over Bronze Star an ‘honest mistake,’ deflects blame

Mills' DynCorp application.

He also claimed he was an attachment member of Joint Special Operations Command and “performed numerous joint operations missions in Iraq.” The JSOC information is also not listed on Mills’ DD-214.

Questions on Bronze Star

Questions are also being raised about the information used to justify Mills receiving the Bronze Star.

Mills said the Bronze Star has been on his official military record since 2004. Some of the men who served in the Army with him have questioned the details used to justify the honor, however.

The Army Form 638 that details support for Mills’ Bronze Star says Mills earned the award for acts of heroism in Iraq in 2003, including rendering lifesaving aid to two wounded soldiers and subduing an enemy combatant in a separate engagement.

'He didn’t save my life. I don’t recall him being there, either.'

Five former service members — including two whom Mills allegedly saved — question the details on the Army paperwork as misleading or false.

The form said on March 31, 2003, in Samawah, Iraq, south of Baghdad, Mills saved the lives of Corporal Alan Babin and Private First Class Joe Heit, who were hit by enemy fire.

“At great risk to his own life, he applied emergency lifesaving medical care to both soldiers and assisted in their evacuation back to U.S. forces, saving the lives of both soldiers,” Mills’ Bronze Star form said.

There is no mention of Mills in accounts given by members of the 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne, Alpha Company, or from the company commander. Two men, PFC Jesse Walker and Staff Sergeant Augest Berndt, tended to Babin’s and Heit’s wounds under fire.

“In the middle of that firefight, we started taking crossfire from across the road,” said Sgt. Steven Dukes, a member of Alpha Company, in a 2004 report by the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “It was pretty intense. [Rocket-propelled grenades] were hitting the trees around us. We were taking it from both sides.”

When Heit was shot in the head, Babin started running toward him when he was shot in the abdomen. Heit’s wounds ended up being minor, but Babin was badly wounded. According to one account, “Staff Sgt. Jesse Walker ran to Alan, started an IV, put dressings on his wound, and administered drugs to stop the bleeding.”

Heit told the news website NOTUS that Mills’ claim about him isn’t true.

“He didn’t save my life,” Heit said. “I don’t recall him being there, either.”

The third achievement cited in Mills’ recommendation for a Bronze Star said his unit came to the aid of another U.S. unit pinned down by enemy fire.

“Bounding forward under murderous enemy fire, Sgt. Mills’ team gained and maintained fire superiority on the enemy. Entering the building, Sgt. Mills’ platoon sergeant, SFC Joseph Ferrand, was grabbed by an enemy insurgent. Jumping into action, Sgt. Mills threw himself at the enemy insurgent and subdued him, saving the life of SFC Ferrand.”

Ferrand disputed the description, writing in a complaint to the Office of Congressional Ethics that Mills’ story was “false and a fabrication.” Ferrand said he “was not involved in any claims that Cory Mills makes about me,” adding that “the act never took place.”

Asked why men he served with at DynCorp and in the 82nd Airborne dispute so many of his claims, Mills said: “They’re entitled to have a different recollection. And some of them, obviously, I didn’t have a great relationship with, and I’m sure some are probably disgruntled.”

'It's not going to impact me in my elections.'

An April 2024 letter issued by the U.S. Army in response to a 2023 Freedom of Information Act request said there could be errors in Mills’ Official Personnel File regarding awards and that officials are “reviewing the records to resolve the issue.”

The Bronze Star recommendation was signed by now-retired Brig. Gen. Arnold Gordon-Bray. “I endorsed his Bronze Star,” Gordon-Bray said in a text acquired by Daytona Beach News-Journal. “As I did for all my NCOs. The specific actions had to come from the battalion.”

Gordon-Bray told the Daytona Beach News-Journal in August 2024 that he awarded the Bronze Star to “all my squad leaders and above.” He said, however, “I am not validating any of the specifics.”

There are questions about when the Form 638 was signed by the brigadier general. Oller said the form Mills used was created in April 2021. The form lists an (R) by Gordon-Bray’s name for “retired.” The general retired in 2012.

Mills defends his record

Since running for office, in media appearances and at campaign events, Mills has presented his military expertise for years as a reason voters should trust him in Congress. He recently traveled to the Middle East and spoke with multiple foreign leaders and lectured generals in a House hearing about “warrior ethos.”

The congressman also disputes Blaze News' reporting.

“You haven't reached out to the people in the vehicle. It's comical. I'm laughing at you right now because of that. That's how great your journalistic quality is,” Mills told Blaze News.

Blaze News has reached out to numerous people who worked at DynCorp with Mills, and so far none of them has supported Mills' version of events. When asked for the contacts of anyone who could back up his claims, Mills gave Blaze News some names but never got back to us with contact information. Chase Nash, who was in the vehicle with Mills, disputes his story.

“It's not going to impact me in my elections. It's not going to impact me in my future. So I know what I've done. The guys who are truly with me know what I've done. Am I a hero? No, I'm not. The guys that served with me are absolutely heroes. So you guys knock yourselves out,” Mills told Blaze News.

Matthew J. Peterson, Cooper Williamson, and Steve Baker contributed to this story.

5 former colleagues of Rep. Cory Mills say he told them he became a Muslim — as girlfriend claims Blaze News report 'entirely untrue'



Five former associates of Florida Rep. Cory Mills (R) have now confirmed to Blaze News that Mills converted to Islam around the time he was married in 2014. Meanwhile, Mills' girlfriend, in an apparent attempt to reassert control over the narrative, has attacked Blaze News' previous reporting on the matter.

Her rebuttal doesn't square with the testimony of Cory Mills' former associates.

Mills has recently come under intense scrutiny. A Feb. 19 domestic disturbance at Mills' luxury penthouse not only prompted a police response but brought to light the Republican congressman's apparent misrepresentations about his new romantic relationship and unfinished divorce.

This in turn prompted Blaze News to dig deeper into Mills' situation — an exploration that has yielded a number of strange insights into the Republican who rose to power on a pro-Christian, America First platform. Among them: Mills was married by Mohammed Al-Hanooti, an unindicted co-conspirator in the 1993 World Trade Center bombing and a Hamas fundraiser; the marriage was reportedly conducted in a mosque that likely would have required the groom to be Muslim; and at least one associate of Mills indicated that the congressman became a practicing Muslim after marrying Iraq native Rana Al Saadi — a conversion he emphatically denied in a conversation.

Here is an Instagram post with Raviani and Mills.

Iranian-American activist Sarah Raviani suggested to the Daily Mail "that the claims made in the Blaze article are entirely untrue." This was the first time since her domestic disturbance call that Mills' 27-year-old girlfriend has publicly announced their relationship.

According to the Daily Mail, the police report on the incident claims officers heard Mills “instruct her to lie about the origin of her bruises.” In addition to confirming she was in a relationship with Mills — who is married to Al Saadi — and asserting that "no assault took place" in February, Raviani told the Daily Mail that Mills' faith should not be up for debate, claiming that they attend Christian services together and pray in private.

'He said, "We need to go over there and take care of it."'

"He has not only attended church with my family and me, but we also pray together privately — just the two of us — where there would be no reason to pretend or perform for others," said Raviani. "Additionally, we pray together publicly before meals. Any assertion that he is a Muslim is false, and I can personally attest to his Christian faith."

The Daily Mail appeared to insinuate that the couple's Easter travels together served as evidence of her claims. As Blaze News has already reported, Mills, who owns an international weapons company, traveled to Turkey and Syria over Easter, where Mills also met with foreign government officials from both countries,

RELATED: GOP Rep. Cory Mills explains why he was married by a radical Islamic cleric

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Since the first Blaze News report was written, more former associates of Mills have confirmed to Blaze News that Mills converted to Islam around the time he was married. Four of them spoke to Blaze News on background for fear of reprisal, but one was willing to go on the record. Max Woodside, CEO at Paladin LLC, is among those not buying what Mills and his proxies are selling.

Woodside, who at one point served as Mills' team leader while with the American private military contractor DynCorp and had multiple run-ins with the future congressman in the Middle East, recently went on the record with Blaze News, noting, "I'm not afraid of him. He knows we're done."

Woodside indicated that "sometime around 2013," after he returned from Afghanistan, he received a call "out of the blue" from Mills.

"He mentioned that he had a friend — I guess it's his current wife that he's divorcing, whatever the hell she is," said Woodside. "I guess she was having problems with somebody over there. He said, 'We need to go over there and take care of it.' I said, 'Brother, whatever we do is going to come back to you.' ... I said, 'You're always going to have problems because she's a Muslim and you're a Christian.'"

According to Woodside, Mills said, "No, I converted. I'm a Muslim."

This alleged admission stood out to Woodside, who told Blaze News, "They're my sworn enemy."

Woodside noted, however, "As far as the Muslim stuff [goes], I only heard him say it one time. I never saw him convert. I never saw him put any head rags on. He just told me he converted to Islam. I said, 'All right, whatever, dude. We're done.'"

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images

Robert Spencer, the founder and editor of Jihad Watch, cast doubt on whether Mills could have been married at the notoriously extreme Dar Al-Hijrah mosque in Virginia without converting.

"It doesn’t sound plausible. Al-Hanooti had multiple ties to the Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas. … Any imam who had their approval, and who approved of the Brotherhood, had to be well versed in Sharia and loyal to its provisions," Spencer previously told Blaze News. "Sharia stipulates that a Muslim woman may not marry a Christian or any other non-Muslim man. This is based on the Qur'an. ... A Muslim man may marry a Christian woman … but a Muslim woman cannot marry a Christian man.”

Spencer speculated that maybe "the whole thing was quick and involved Mills… at the mosque with little understanding of what he was saying … so he can dismiss it now and may not have even realized what he was doing, but he wouldn’t have been able to marry Al Saadi otherwise."

Mills’ former team leader’s interpretation of the conversion is that Mills “said that to get the freaking girl.” Woodside told Blaze News that “he’s not a Muslim or a Christian as far as I’m concerned. He just said what he wanted to get what he wanted, which is what he always does.” Others who knew Mills at the time, however, told Blaze News that Mills seemed to have truly converted and remained Muslim after his wedding.

When pressed about the unlikelihood that a radical mufti like Al-Hanooti would officiate the marriage of a non-Muslim, Mills told Blaze News that the situation was complicated.

His then-fiancée needed to visit a dying relative in Iraq, Mills said, but "would've been arrested" if she entered Iraq without a marriage certificate because her first husband in Iraq "wasn't a good man" and "all he had to do was say she wasn’t divorced within Iraq, therefore the marriage is still valid."

According to Mills, Al-Hanooti was "the only Iraqi imam that her mom [could] get in contact with who would do this for us.

"I will do anything to protect my family. So if having her mother find someone who is willing to just sign something so she doesn't get arrested when she goes to visit her dying uncle, who's her last remaining male Al Saadi," said Mills. "Yeah, you're damn right, I have no problem whatsoever, because it didn't change my faith, it didn't change who I am, it didn't change the church that I went to. So yeah, enjoy your hit piece."

Blaze Media editor in chief Matthew Peterson noted that "we merely asked Mills what religion he was and who married him. If Mills had simply admitted that, yes, he converted to Islam to marry a Muslim woman or help her visit her family or whatever, that would be one thing. Instead, he threatened Blaze Media with libel, defamation, malice, and slander before we published a word. I find that odd."

Woodside, along with many other former associates of Mills who spoke to Blaze News, had some harsh words for the congressman: "He's always going to say [whatever he needs] to get him whatever he wants, which makes him a good politician because that’s what they do."

"He's a die-hard conservative on the face of it," Woodside told Blaze News, but "Cory's out for himself. That's all he's ever been."

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GOP lawmakers back bill to lock illegal aliens out of path to citizenship



House Republicans are backing a bill that would prevent illegal aliens from seeking a pathway to citizenship.

Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) introduced the No Citizenship for Alien Invaders Act on Thursday, which would “prohibit immigrants, of any nationality, who have illegally entered the United States from ever obtaining legal citizenship.”

'There can be NO citizenship for the nearly 20 MILLION people who live here illegally.'

If passed, Mills’ bill would amend the existing Immigration and Nationality Act to state, “No alien who enters the United States unlawfully shall be eligible for naturalization, notwithstanding any other provision of the immigration laws.”

Mills said, “Under the Biden administration, we saw more than 10 million encounters at our borders, a crisis exacerbated by reckless catch-and-release policies that allowed criminals who broke our laws to remain in the United States.”

“President Trump has made it clear that anyone that tries to unlawfully undermine, exploit, or bypass our immigration system is a criminal,” he continued. “The No Citizenship for Alien Invaders Act will ensure these criminals will never be granted U.S. citizenship; that privilege will be reserved for those who respect our laws.”

The proposed legislation already has several co-sponsors, including Republican Reps. Josh Brecheen (Okla.), Andy Harris (Md.), and Anna Paulina Luna (Fla.).

Brecheen explained that the bill would prevent illegal immigrants from “being rewarded with citizenship after breaking our laws.”

“America is a nation of laws, and if we allow those laws to be subverted by illegal aliens who have no constitutional right to be here in the first place, then we will cease to be a nation,” he said. “It’s time we get back to common-sense policies that restore law and order to America.”

Luna stated, “Time and time again, Congress refuses to enforce our immigration laws, complains about it being broken, promises to ‘fix it for good’ in exchange for amnesty programs, and then never actually enforces the law like they promised.”

“We need to draw a line in the sand for the sake of the American people: There can be NO citizenship for the nearly 20 MILLION people who live here illegally,” she added.

Earlier this week, Mills also introduced the Prohibiting Automatic Rights to Enter National Territory Act, which would close birthright citizenship loopholes.

This bill would also amend the INA, adding language that would ensure that only those born to at least one parent who is a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident would receive birthright citizenship.

Mills noted that the proposed legislation adds to President Donald Trump’s executive order that similarly sought to close birthright citizenship loopholes.

“For decades, criminal migrants have exploited loopholes in our immigration system, undermining our nation’s sovereignty, straining taxpayer resources, and ignoring the rule of law,” Mills said. “By amending the Immigration and Nationality Act, the PARENT Act seeks to end the abuse and reaffirm the principles of American citizenship and our constitutional republic.”

“Building on President Trump’s efforts to protect American sovereignty, this bill ensures birthright citizenship is reserved for those with a legal right to be here. It’s past time to restore integrity to our laws and put American citizens first,” he added.

Harris also co-sponsored Mills’ PARENT Act.

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GOP lawmakers move to codify DOGE to block left's lawfare



A group of Republican lawmakers plans to introduce legislation that would codify President Donald Trump's executive order that established the Department of Government Efficiency.

If passed, the legislation would help to block the DOGE from the left's lawfare over the next year and a half.

'It's critical that we codify this consequential endeavor.'

Fox News Digital reported that Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) is leading the bill alongside Reps. Byron Donalds (R-Fla.), Barry Moore (R-Ala.), and Michael Rulli (R-Ohio). House DOGE Caucus co-chair Aaron Bean (R-Fla.) is co-sponsoring the legislation.

Mills told the news outlet that the DOGE has provided "a new IT software that has the interoperability to work between all governments and agencies," allowing the Trump administration to perform more analysis and data mining, updating outdated federal government software.

"It's already found over $100-plus billion in cost savings," Mills said, highlighting the cancellation of more than 200,000 unused credit cards.

"I think that codifying this into law, not just having it as an executive order, is really the right thing to do for government transparency and efficiency," he continued.

While enshrining the DOGE would help to protect it from Democratic lawfare, it would also enable the federal government to implement a "reporting structure" between the department and Congress to ensure lawmakers are "good stewards of the taxpayers' funding," Mills said. He noted that this would especially be helpful for programs that failed to meet their intended purposes and, therefore, need to be cut.

Mills also discussed how the United States Digital Services, a technology unit formed by President Barack Obama in 2014 to update and simplify the federal government's technology, has utilized "outdated software programs that didn't look at certain government efficiencies."

He credited Elon Musk for modernizing the USDS program by creating an "algorithm" that "sifts through all these different programs, 24 hours a day, to look at anomalies." This process has allowed the Trump administration to determine which government programs need a more thorough review for waste and abuse, Mills explained.

He called the DOGE "one of the most transparent government agencies or departments that you're going to find."

Mills believes the DOGE's frequent website and X updates will help to rebuild the public's trust in the federal government.

Many of the department's actions have come under legal scrutiny from the left, which has filed a flurry of restraining orders to block the Trump administration's efforts to trim government waste.

On Tuesday, a federal judge accused the Trump administration of violating the Constitution by attempting to shut down the U.S. Agency for International Development. The judge argued that the administration illegally circumvented Congress.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan ordered Musk and the DOGE to turn over records regarding their plans to downsize the federal government in response to a lawsuit filed by 14 Democratic state attorneys general.

Rep. Donalds stated, "Now more than ever, it's critical that we codify this consequential endeavor into federal law."

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Trump tears into Thomas Massie over CR opposition: 'HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED'



President Donald Trump lashed out at Republican Rep. Thomas Massie of Kentucky, who said on Monday that he would vote against the GOP-led continuing resolution.

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) can afford to lose only one Republican vote on the CR given his party's historically narrow House majority. Democrats have also vowed to vote against the CR, leaving Johnson with the challenge of rallying every Republican behind the bill.

Massie, arguably the most principled fiscal conservative in Congress, already claimed the sole "no" vote the conference can spare, adding to the mounting pressure on Republicans. Trump, in turn, took to Truth Social to air his grievances.

'Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election. Guess what? Doesn’t work on me.'

"Congressman Thomas Massie, of beautiful Kentucky, is an automatic 'NO' vote on just about everything, despite the fact that he has always voted for Continuing Resolutions in the past," Trump said. "HE SHOULD BE PRIMARIED, and I will lead the charge against him."

"He's just another GRANDSTANDER, who's too much trouble, and not worth the fight," Trump added. "He reminds me of Liz Cheney before her historic, record breaking fall (loss!). The people of Kentucky won't stand for it, just watch."

While Trump's condemnation would have worked on most Republicans, Massie has been famously immune to the political pressures of GOP leadership, and that includes the president.

Behind the scenes, Republican leadership has been hustling to get the CR passed.

"Someone thinks they can control my voting card by threatening my re-election," Massie said. "Guess what? Doesn’t work on me. Three times I’ve had a challenger who tried to be more MAGA than me. None busted 25% because my constituents prefer transparency and principles over blind allegiance."

Massie is always considered an immovable "no" vote in every spending fight, leaving the rest of the Republican conference to sink or swim. Apart from Massie, several Republicans are still on the fence about Tuesday's CR vote, including Reps. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, Cory Mills of Florida, Tony Gonzales of Texas, Rich McCormick of Georgia, Beth Van Duyne of Texas, Kat Cammack of Florida, Andy Ogles of Tennessee, and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania.

Despite some holdouts, Johnson is gunning for a repeat of February's reconciliation vote, where Republicans voted in lockstep to get the budget blueprint passed, with Massie as the only exception.

Behind the scenes, Republican leadership has been hustling to get the CR passed.

OMB Director Russ Vought met with members of the House Freedom Caucus and adjacent fiscal conservatives in early March to pitch the Trump-backed funding bill ahead of the vote, as Blaze News first reported. Trump also met with the same group 48 hours later in order to rally remaining Republican holdouts. As a result, the HFC officially endorsed the CR despite historically opposing CRs generally.

It's clear that Republicans are putting in the work. Now we will have to wait and see if it pays off.

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Deep state in ‘survival mode’: Can Trump stop Russia from going to WAR with Biden?



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has fired American-made long-range missiles to attack Russia — which Vladimir Putin had previously said would be a red line.

“Whoever is president of the United States, let’s just use air quotes and say ‘Joe Biden,’ told Ukraine that they could use those long-range missiles,” Glenn Beck of “The Glenn Beck Program” tells Rep. Cory Mills, disturbed.

Putin has declared that an action like this will be “treated as a joint assault on Russia.”

“For four years, Ukraine had been asking for long-range capabilities, have been asking to be able to hit within the outlying areas inside of Russia in an effort to try and prevent continual assaults, and it was denied, denied, denied,” Mills comments, noting that as Trump’s presidency nears, they’re “continuing to try and spiral things further out of control.”


However, while he’s admittedly concerned, he also believes that Trump is the right man to get America through this unscathed.

“The benefit we have, however, is that we have an exceptionally strong president coming in, and every one of the world leaders knows that President Trump does not suffer fools and that he does not have the weakness, which invites aggression,” he says.

“I think that both Putin and Zelenskyy understand that President Trump coming in is not going to necessarily say, ‘It’s OK for you guys to continue this back and forth, it’s OK to continue the atrocious events that are occurring.’ He’s going to come with an actual solution and say, ‘What kind of sanctioning, what kind of imposement,’ because remember, it was President Trump who actually removed America from the INF Treaty, which had been violated by Russia time and time again,” he continues.

“So people know this. They’re taking notice. But it’s disturbing to me that President Biden is doing everything he can to leave president Trump with the biggest mess possible, to stop him from actually getting onto the America First agenda,” he says, adding, “It also strikes me as the deep state going into survival mode.”

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'People need help': Cory Mills helps locals with Hurricane Helene relief efforts in North Carolina



SWANNANOA, N.C. — The site right outside of Asheville being used by military veterans and volunteers to distribute supplies and dispatch rescue teams used to be a Harley-Davidson dealer. Though the inside of the store is damaged from the historic flooding from Hurricane Helene, that has not stopped the effort to help people farther up the mountains.

The Harley-Davidson store is a prime location to be a supply hub, with the owner's permission. Not only is the parking lot big enough to store supplies, but there is a field next to it that is big enough to serve as an impromptu airport for the helicopters constantly flying in and out. The dealership has the feeling of a forward operating base, with so many veterans organizing communications, supply deliveries, and personnel allocation while being armed.

Blaze Media got a firsthand look at how people are working together to help the western part of the state as the federal response has been, at best, extremely slow. Congressman Cory Mills (R-Fla.) has been on the ground for the past week in collaboration with Mercury One, a nonprofit started by Blaze co-founder Glenn Beck for disaster response.

An Army veteran, Mills has made it a personal mission to help U.S. citizens when it seems the federal government that he is a part of is not doing enough, he says. This is why he helped organized rescue operations for U.S. citizens in Afghanistan, Haiti, and Israel.

"It's simple: People need help. People's lives matter. I could be sitting on a beach right now, but helping people is more important," Mills said while on a supply flight from Florida.

What makes the disaster response to Hurricane Helene victims in western North Carolina difficult is how entire communities have been cut off by washed-out roads, making them only accessible by air or hours-long treks on foot or pack animal.

This is why there were problems when President Joe Biden visited the region on Wednesday, and a no-fly zone with a 30-mile radius was implemented. Supply runs and rescue operations were put on hold for hours until the restriction was finally lifted. Biden had previously promised his visit would not disrupt missions.

'This is going to go on for months. This is going to go on for a long time.'

Mills called the visit "irresponsible" at a moment when time is of the essence for places that have been isolated for days. The helicopter flight Blaze Media was on with Mills had finished a supply run to Elk River Airport before the no-fly zone was put in place, and we sat on the tarmac for two hours.

— (@)

Locals and volunteers who have been conducting their own relief operations had similarly expressed frustrations with the Federal Emergency Management Agency because now after arriving in force days since the storm has passed, its bureaucracy is now getting in the way.

— (@)

While cities like Asheville have been stabilized, the pressing concern is for people up in the mountains who have no power with fall and winter approaching. In Pensacola, North Carolina, officials are now mainly asking for generators, fuel, portable stoves, and tools to fix the roads themselves.

"This is going to go on for months. This is going to go on for a long time," Pensacola's medical officer Mark Harrison told Blaze Media regarding the town's recovery.

The last supply drop to Pensacola on Thursday included a generator, chainsaws, oil for the chainsaws, and fuel.

On Friday, Mills announced the new shipment from Florida that will be arriving to North Carolina includes over 60 generators.

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EXCLUSIVE: Emergency responders share harrowing accounts of Hurricane Helene’s devastation: 'Never seen anything like it'



Blaze Media national correspondent Julio Rosas joined Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) in North Carolina this week to assess the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and distribute supplies to those in need in small communities outside Asheville.

Aerial footage showed destroyed buildings, fallen trees, washed-out roads, and severe flooding in some areas.

'These people have taken a serious hit.'

On the ground, Blaze News spoke with individuals at Broad River Fire & Rescue.

“Probably about two inches of water in here,” one individual on the fire rescue team told Rosas, referring to inside the fire station. “And in two minutes, it was to my knees. And I looked outside, and it was chest-deep.”

The man explained that as the water rose, he retreated up the stairs to the second floor of the fire station. “The doors buckled, and the water came through,” he explained.

The rush of water moved a pickup parked at the front of the department halfway down the building, the emergency responder explained. He stated that one of the fire trucks was totaled by the flood.

“It was unbelievable,” he continued. “I’ve been here my whole life, and I’ve never seen anything like it. My grandmother talked about the 1916 flood, and from what she told me, this is on the order of that.”

Another individual on the fire rescue team stated that there was nearly six feet of water in the fire department bay.

“You can see the water mark on the wall,” he remarked.

When asked what he would like Americans to know about what is going on in the area, he told Rosas, “Just communities planning together, helping each other. Families helping families.”

“These smaller communities, a lot of the families will band together. They share their food, their water,” he added.

Another volunteer, Mike Cannon, who has 40 years of rescue experience, told Rosas that he arrived on Sunday morning.

“Words can’t describe it,” he stated. “This is the worst one I’ve been to. We’ve been to Harvey and Hurricane Florence, Tropical Storm Irene in Vermont. And those are our benchmarks, but I’ve never seen devastation like there is here in North Carolina.”

“They’ve got a lot of resources both in state and out of state and federal,” Cannon said. “But I guess my thought process on this is that there are lots of areas that are completely cut off that are gonna take a long time for help to get into them. And the power grid does not look good around here. I would imagine that that’s going to take some time to repair and these people are going to need a lot of help.”

“I know they’re probably resilient, like a lot of people are, but these people have taken a serious hit here in their personal lives and their property,” he added.

He noted that the landslides in the area were like none he had ever seen before.

“Just a recon flight in this one fire district that we’re in, I counted over 125 landslides yesterday and I stopped counting,” Cannon said.

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