A freshman House Republican is starting out the new session of Congress with a bang.
Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) passed out what he says are inert grenades to colleagues, marking his appointment to committees charged with protecting national security.
Daily Mail reporter Morgan Phillips shared a photo Thursday of one of the grenades, which features the image of the elephant symbol of the Republican Party, and an accompanying letter.
Rep @CoryMillsFL is passing out grenades to fellow House members pic.twitter.com/khJmDrYcFH
— Morgan Phillips (@_phillipsmorgan) January 26, 2023
“Welcoming you to a mission-oriented 118th Congress. I am eager to get to work for the American people, and I look forward to working with you to deliver on this commitment. I am honored to be a part of the Armed Services and Foreign Affairs Committees,” Mills wrote in the letter.
“In that spirit, it is my pleasure to give you a 40 mm grenade, made for a MK19 grenade launcher. These are manufactured in the Sunshine State and first developed in the Vietnam War,” he added.
Mills also called on his colleagues to “come together and get to work on behalf of our constituents.” In addition, the letter contained a note asserting the grenades are inert.
A spokesman for Mills confirmed to The Washington Post the contents of the photograph are legitimate and stressed, “the grenades are inert, and were cleared through all security metrics.”
Mills is a decorated U.S. Army combat veteran and businessman who became an appointee of former President Donald Trump to serve on a Pentagon defense advisory board. He ran a successful campaign to represent Florida’s 7th Congressional District in the 2022 election.
During the campaign, Mills made headlines for an ad mocking the “liberal media” for “crying” about how his company PACEM Solutions sold riot-control munitions, including tear gas, that law enforcement used against Black Lives Matter demonstrators and others.