Cory Mills promises to help media ‘shed some real tears’
Screenshot from "Cory Mills. Soldier. Conservative. Outsider." video.

Cory Mills
PACEM Solutions, a company he co-founded, sold tear gas used on protesters.

Cory Mills, candidate for Congress and tear gas investor, promises in a new video ad he can make liberals cry.

Mills, a Winter Park Republican running in Florida’s 7th Congressional District, released a new digital ad that pushes back on a POLITICO report from April. The veteran and business owner leans into the fact PACEM Solutions, a company he co-founded where he still serves as executive chair, sold tear gas used on Black Lives Matter and liberal protesters in high-profile demonstrations.

In the ad, Mills appears holding a rifle and wearing camouflage. Text on-screen touts Mills’ background as an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran serving in Army 82nd Airborne.

“I came home and started a company making riot control munitions for law enforcement,” he said. “You may know some of our work.”

He then shows video footage of police response to a number of protests, demonstrations and riots.

Those include the use of tear gas against “Hillary Clinton protesters” in Charlotte, N.C., “left wing protesters” in Phoenix, Ariz., “antifa rioters” in Washington, D.C., “Black Lives Matter protesters” in Denver, Colo., and “radical left protesters” in Philadelphia.

“Now the liberal media is crying about it,” Mills said in the ad.

He goes on to describe himself as a conservative outsider in the race, before sending a message to the journalism field.

“If the media wants to shed some real tears, I can help them out with that,” he said, grinning at the camera.

Mills did not mention criticism received about rubber bullets made by PACEM subsidiary ALS Less Lethal that were sold to China and used to quell democratic protesters in Hong Kong, as reported by the Hong Kong Free Press.

The House Oversight and Reform Committee in 2020 pressed PACEM CEO Andrew Knaggs about the potential health hazards for those exposed to the company’s tear gas products.

The ad is available to view online. His campaign also told The Floridian he made a “six-figure” ad buy in the Orlando media market to air the spot on television.

Jacob Ogles

Jacob Ogles has covered politics in Florida since 2000 for regional outlets including SRQ Magazine in Sarasota, The News-Press in Fort Myers and The Daily Commercial in Leesburg. His work has appeared nationally in The Advocate, Wired and other publications. Events like SRQ’s Where The Votes Are workshops made Ogles one of Southwest Florida’s most respected political analysts, and outlets like WWSB ABC 7 and WSRQ Sarasota have featured his insights. He can be reached at [email protected].


6 comments

  • FLORIDA_RETAIL_SLUT

    May 5, 2022 at 1:53 pm

    If Mr. Mills wins the primary, I’m sure he will move into the new CD7.
    CD7 constituents want a Congressman that lives in the district they represent. Seminole County residents are happy to be detached from Orange County!

    FLORIDA_RETAIL_SLUT

  • Arm The Homeless

    May 5, 2022 at 8:04 pm

    Are all of the latest crop of doüghy right-wing fascists mouth-breathing sociopaths?

  • Brian Barone

    May 6, 2022 at 7:50 am

    What a loser. So tired of weak men.

  • Should have been him

    May 6, 2022 at 7:15 pm

    He should have got it in Iraq from a IED.
    Veteran community is made of weak men these days

  • The section

    May 7, 2022 at 11:17 am

    Why does every veteran in politics always turn out to be that one guy from platoon these days?

  • tecolote

    May 8, 2022 at 10:02 pm

    Good to know where my tax dollars are going. He’s certainly special.

Comments are closed.


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