(José Niño, Headline USA) Florida Republican gubernatorial candidate James Fishback used a Tallahassee press conference Thursday to accuse his primary rival, Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., of sitting under a federal sex trafficking investigation. Federal law enforcement contradicted the claim within hours. Fishback took no questions from reporters and delivered the charge less than two weeks before Florida’s August 18 Republican primary.
Fishback said an anonymous government whistleblower brought his campaign “a disturbing pattern of evidence” showing that an existing Justice Department inquiry into Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., had widened to include Donalds. In a companion post on X, Fishback wrote that prosecutors are examining May 17, 2024, and November 19, 2024, dates when the two men allegedly traveled to the MGM National Harbor resort in Oxon Hill, Maryland. Prosecutors believe both men “solicited, procured, and paid women for sexual acts,” he said.
On July 21st, 2026, NBC News reported that Republican Florida Congressman Cory Mills was under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice.
Like virtually every federal investigation, this one began with a single suspect before expanding to include others.
A government… pic.twitter.com/JQNVFtOkmT
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) August 6, 2026
Fishback told reporters his lawyers worked for weeks to “independently verify this investigation, and we have done just that.” Per a report by News 6, displayed a letter dated July 20, 2026, referencing the Mills inquiry one day before NBC News reported it, arguing the timing proved his source held inside knowledge.
— James Fishback (@j_fishback) August 6, 2026
He also showed screenshots of texts he attributed to Mills reading “I went to MGM with Byron” and “Me and Byron.” Fishback said the department declined to comment when his attorneys asked about Donalds, contrasting that silence with a letter clearing fellow Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna.
A Justice Department official told the Washington Examiner no investigation into Donalds exists and the Mills inquiry is financial, not sexual. That tracks NBC News reporting tying the Mills probe to his finances and overseas business dealings. Donalds spokesman Gates McGavick called the claims “completely false,” telling Florida Politics, “We will not be distracted by this baseless and defamatory sideshow, and neither should you.” Mills denies knowing of any investigation.
Fishback acknowledged the standard he was working against, telling the room, “Our Constitution entitles Congressman Donalds to the presumption of innocence, and while he deserves that presumption, voters deserve transparency.” He insisted the event was “not political,” pledging no ads or mailers, then resumed posting about it on X within hours.
Headline USA reached out to Byron Donald’s campaign for comment, with McGavick stressing that Fishback’s allegations are “completely false and the Department of Justice will tell you the same thing. We will not be distracted by this baseless and defamatory sideshow, and neither should you.”
Similarly, a federal law enforcement officials informed Headline USA that Fishback’s allegations are ”absolutely false” and that “there is no investigation into Byron Donalds.”
José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino
