House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) praised Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) after a judge issued a restraining order against him under Florida's "dating violence" law.
At a Wednesday press conference, Johnson feigned ignorance after multiple reporters asked him about the restraining order.
"A judge in Florida issued a restraining order against Cory Mills for threatening, harassing behavior from an ex-girlfriend," the reporter noted. "And according to these court documents, he also instructed a congressional staffer to reach out to her after that initial temporary restraining order was found."
"Do you think this is an ethical violation, and do you think any disciplinary action is warranted?"
"I have not heard or looked into any details of that," Johnson insisted. "We have a House Ethics Committee; if it warrants that, I'm sure they'll look into that."
"Mr. Speaker, it's been reported for a while," a second reporter observed. "Cory Mills was accused of beating a girlfriend in his D.C. apartment. He was accused of stolen valor by the people that he claimed to have saved on the battlefield that have been on the record said that he did not save them."
"I mean, this has been happening since the beginning of the year," she added. "Are you concerned about these allegations against Cory Mills?"
"Look, you have to ask Representative Mills about that," Johnson shrugged. "I mean, he's been a faithful colleague here. I know his work on the Hill."
"I mean, I don't know all the details of all the individual allegations and what he's doing in his outside life," he remarked. "You have to ask him about that. Let's talk about the things that are really serious."