There's more news on embattled Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida.
Blaze News can confirm that back in April on a joint trip with Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R-Ind.), Mills made the highly unusual move of taking a private car from Damascus, Syria, to Beirut, Lebanon. Depending upon conditions and the number of checkpoint stops, that drive could take anywhere from 2.5 to four hours through territory that is dangerous and hostile to Americans.
Furthermore, according to an intelligence source from the region, Hezbollah controls much of the borderlands in both Syria and Lebanon, and Mills would have needed an authorized "pass" from the militant group to cross the border.
For some reason, Mills, a sitting US congressman, chose to drive through a region and across a border largely controlled by Hezbollah with no security detail.
Independent journalist Roger Sollenberger also reported that Mills requested to meet with Syrian President Ahmed Hussein al-Sharaa in private and spent 90 minutes alone with al-Sharaa and Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani. The men discussed a range of "sensitive" topics, including "U.S.-Syria relations, humanitarian concerns, and regional stability," according to a screenshot of part of Mills' travel filing.
In 2013, the U.S. designated al-Sharaa a global terrorist for his association with the rebel group al-Nusra. The State Department revoked the terrorist designation against al-Nusra earlier this month.
Kyle Shideler, the director and senior analyst for homeland security and counterterrorism at the Center for Security Policy, described Mills' private meeting with al-Sharaa as "worrisome," claiming that the mere "appearance of impropriety ... could be exploited by foreign adversaries."
"Generally speaking, U.S. officials should just not be meeting alone with foreign dignitaries or leaders," Shideler told Blaze News. "Even phone calls with foreign leaders include staffers and translators to help brief and keep the meeting on topic and in line with official U.S. policy. Even professional U.S. diplomats who actually have the responsibility to have such meetings don’t hold them alone but bring witnesses."
Though Stutzman and Mills traveled to Damascus together on a joint itinerary, Stutzman did not participate in the private meeting with al-Sharaa and al-Shaibani. Stutzman also did not join Mills in the private car ride. In fact, screenshots of travel filings indicate that Stutzman flew from Damascus to Istanbul, Turkey, the day before Mills' road trip.
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Blaze News has confirmed that neither Mills nor Stutzman received dignitary protection details from the State Department or Capitol Police for their official trip. Their only security came from Syria.
Yet for some reason, Mills, a sitting U.S. congressman, chose to drive through a region and across a border largely controlled by Hezbollah with no security detail.
The purpose of Mills' side trip to Lebanon is unclear. A spokesperson for Mills did not respond to Blaze News' request for comment.
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