Republican Cory Mills is new to the US Congress - and yet all of his party colleagues in the House of Representatives should now know his name. Because the representative of the people from Florida gave them a strange present for their debut: grenades.
"Rep. Cory Mills is handing out grenades to party friends in the House of Representatives," tweeted Daily Mail reporter Morgan Phillips. She also posted a photo of one of the bullets imprinted with the Republican elephant logo and a letter Mills included with his martial arts gift.
"I am honored to serve on the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees," the Republican said. "With that in mind, it is my pleasure to present you with a 40mm grenade for an MK19 grenade launcher. It is manufactured in the Sunshine State and was first developed during the Vietnam War."
In a postscript, the 42-year-old explains that the grenades are not live.
Mills, who advertises on all his internet channels that he was a decorated veteran in the US Army and served in Iraq and Afghanistan, gave the bullets to Republican members of the House of Representatives as a welcome gift, his rep said, according to WKMG News 6 with. The grenades did not pose any danger to the deputies.
"We have distributed them in the offices and received very positive feedback," the spokesman said. "Of course, all necessary security measures were taken, and Capitol Police even escorted the staff with the grenades into the building. Every single specimen was thoroughly examined."
The spokesman told the Washington Examiner that it is common for new members of Congress to bring products from their home state and that these can be relevant to their committee duties. "Congressman Mills is a war veteran, Bronze Star recipient and member of the Armed Services Committee," the spokesman said.
After the storming of the Capitol by supporters of former President Donald Trump two years ago, metal detectors were installed outside the plenary hall. The Republicans, who won the majority in the House of Representatives in November, have now had these security devices removed.
Visitors to the Capitol are not permitted to bring firearms, weapons, or explosive devices. Members of Congress, on the other hand, are allowed to keep guns in their offices and transport them within the complex if they are "unloaded and securely packed". However, you may not take guns into the chambers of the House of Representatives and Senate.
Mills won his Florida 7th congressional district seat in November from Democratic Rep. Stephanie Murphy, who was a member of the House Special Committee investigating the attack on the US Capitol. The 42-year-old Trump supporter, who runs a company that sells riot-control weapons and equipment, is one of several new members of the House of Representatives denying that US President Joe Biden legitimately won the 2020 presidential election. During his campaign, Mills also boasted that he sold tear gas used against Black Lives Matter protesters.
Sources: Morgan Phillips on Twitter, WKMG News 6, Washington Post, Politico, Washington Examiner
