Why did Cory Mills come to Ilhan Omar's rescue?

Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida was one of the four GOP lawmakers to block the censure of Democrat Rep. Ilhan Omar of Minnesota. Although Mills publicly argued that he was simply voting to protect Omar's First Amendment rights, reports indicate that there may have been a deeper motive.

Following Charlie Kirk's horrific assassination, Omar let out a slew of insensitive comments that sparked outrage among conservatives. As a result, Republican Rep. Nancy Mace of South Carolina introduced a resolution to censure Omar, which would formally condemn the Democrat and strip her of her committee assignments.

'Ilhan Omar mocked the cold-blooded assassination of an innocent American husband and father.'

Mace's resolution narrowly failed 214-213 in a procedural vote Wednesday night, with Mills casting the deciding vote.

Republican Reps. Mike Flood of Nebraska, Jeff Hurd of Colorado, and Tom McClintock of California joined Mills in voting against Omar's censure.

RELATED: 4 Republicans sink Nancy Mace's crusade to strip Ilhan Omar's committee assignments over insult to Charlie Kirk

Photo by Kent Nishimura/Getty Images

"Ilhan Omar mocked the cold-blooded assassination of an innocent American husband and father," Mace said in a post on X. "She’s supported ISIS. She’s supported the Muslim Brotherhood. She’s incited political violence. And tonight, Congress protected her."

Mills' decisive vote comes as Axios reported that House Democrats were pushing a retaliatory censure against him unless Omar's censure was tanked. Democrat Rep. Greg Casar of Texas, who filed the censure against Mills, later confirmed to Axios that he now intends to withdraw the resolution.

RELATED: Ilhan Omar mocks Trump and others for praising Charlie Kirk: 'These people are full of s**t!'

Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call Inc. via Getty Images

Mills is facing a slew of allegations reported by Blaze News, including accusations of sextortion, financial misconduct, and stolen valor, all of which he has denied. There have also been questions raised about Mills' faith after he was found to have been married by a radical Islamic cleric at the Dar Al-Hijrah Islamic Center in Falls Church, Virginia, which has ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.

When approached for a comment regarding his decisive vote protecting Omar, Mills' spokeswoman, Jillian Anderson, told Blaze News she was "not available."

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