Alternate headlines for this post could have easily been: "Florida Man Brings Grenades to Congress." But I digress…
Rep. Cory Mills (R-Florida), a freshman congressman and apologist for the Trump-inspired January 6 Capitol attackers, brought grenades to his Republican colleagues of the House — doing so actually inside of the Capitol building. Accompanied by the 40 mm grenades was a letter, in which Mills wrote that he is welcoming his fellow lawmakers to a "mission-oriented" session.
The grenades also featured an image of the Republican Party's logo (the elephant with three stars) painted on them. Classy.
Receiving criticism for bringing multiple weapons to Congress, Mills noted that, at the bottom of his letter, it says the grenades are "inert." (Should have probably put that at the top, buddy.) He also tried to justify his action further by noting it's a "customary" action to gift other lawmakers with items from your home district (a munitions plant is within Mills's jurisdiction).
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| Image via Twitter/Morgan Phillips |
Most lawmakers, of course, don't hand out weapons — active or otherwise — to their colleagues during this ritual.
One surprising note — House and Senate rules allow for lawmakers to bring weapons into their offices. They are not allowed, however, to bring them into the chambers of either house.
Understanding Mills deeper: the Florida Republican is an outspoken critic of investigations into the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol, perpetrated by a mob of Trump loyalists after the (then) president riled them up into a frenzy that morning and urged them to voice their grievances in person. (Lest anyone say otherwise, members of the mob understood what their "mission" from Trump was about.)
Mills, a so-called "back the blue" lawmaker, has been critical of the way violent members of that mob have been treated by law enforcement. One year ago, he also called the January 6 committee an effort to "hunt down Trump supporters."
"Do NOT COMPLY," he urged anyone on the right thinking of testifying before the panel.
Not backing down. When Rep. Ted Lieu (D-California) shared an image of the grenade and letter Mills was handing out on social media, Mills responded by describing the California lawmaker as "jealous," and bragged about Republicans having the House majority.
Real grown-up, mature adult stuff, of course.
