Mills strategist calls for Fishback to leave politics over false claims about investigations

A strategist for Rep. Cory Mills (R-FL) called upon James Fishback to leave politics entirely on Wednesday after the former Florida gubernatorial candidate admitted to lying about federal investigations into Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) and Mills.Less than two weeks before the Aug. 18 Republican primary, Fishback claimed he had obtained whistleblower information that suggested the Department of Justice was investigating Donalds and Mills over allegations of sex trafficking. Fishback was Donalds’s primary opponent in the race for Florida governor.When the Washington Examiner contacted the DOJ at the time, a federal official denied that there were any sex trafficking investigations into the two congressmen. However, there was a finance-related investigation into Mills, the official said. Mills has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Since Fishback made the unsubstantiated claims, Donalds went on to become the Republican nominee for Florida governor, and Mills lost his primary race for a third term in the House.Over two months after Florida’s primaries, Fishback conceded that he was wrong about the investigations.“I am writing this without consulting my lawyer because it is the right thing to do, regardless of the legal implications,” he posted on X. “In early August, I made a terrible mistake by claiming that Byron Donalds and Cory Mills were under federal investigation. I received this information from someone I trusted, but I accept the DOJ’s public statement that neither man is under investigation, which means that I bore false witness.“As a Catholic, I take the Ten Commandments seriously,” he said. “After speaking with my priest and going to confession, I have a moral obligation to publicly retract my statement and apologize.”Fishback directly apologized to Donalds, Mills, and their families for what he said. He maintained that “neither man nor their lawyers asked me to write this, and neither has ever contacted me about it.” He ended his message with the hope to “make amends.”Jacob Engels, a right-wing journalist and political strategist who said he was speaking for Mills, responded to Fishback’s statement almost two hours later on social media.“James Fishback failed to do his due diligence, he failed to do basic vetting of the accusations he leveled at Congressman Mills,” Engels wrote. “James Fishback is a failed candidate who was and is a dangerous insurgent in politics. There is no excuse for his failures, his lies, and his actions which significantly impacted Congressman Mills’s primary race.”The incumbent ultimately lost to former news anchor Ryan Elijah in the primary race for Florida’s 7th Congressional District.“Congressman Mills demands James Fishback retire from politics, provide a recorded video apology detailing his lies, and try to live a life of contrition,” Engels said.The political strategist went on to say that Mills wants a letter written by Fishback’s priest and signed by Fishback’s wife that addresses the “wicked & devilish smut he pushed.” Engels also urged Fishback to “abstain from Holy Communion until otherwise advised.”“Having been proven to be innocent, maligned, and a victim of a grifter, and liar, Congressman Mills will absolutely not be retiring from politics, he is looking forward to serving in a new capacity in the administration,” Engels said without providing further details. “Shame on James Fishback and the political operatives who covered up his laziness, grifting, and corruption.”The Washington Examiner contacted Mills’s office to confirm the congressman’s professional relationship with Engels, who has spoken on behalf of the Florida Republican in recent media interviews.Donalds’s campaign declined to comment on Fishback’s overnight admission.While Mills is allegedly planning to work for the Trump administration in some capacity after his term expires, Donalds is focused on winning the Florida governor’s race against Democratic nominee and former Republican congressman David Jolly.The competitive race appears to be leaning in Donalds’s favor based on the RealClearPolitics polling average, which shows Donalds leading Jolly by 5.6 percentage points.‘WE ALL HAVE OUR LIMITATIONS’: HOW LONG WILL MAGA KEEP WATCHING THE TRUMP SHOW?Meanwhile, next steps for Fishback remain uncertain. While speaking at the University of Virginia, Fishback received a question from an audience member about his future plans. Fishback’s response was a seemingly humorous suggestion that he would run for president in the future.“I’m only kidding,” he said after some people in the crowd stood up and applauded.