ORLANDO, Fla. \u2013 Ahead of the primaries later this month, Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback launched accusations that competitor Byron Donalds was under investigation for sex trafficking \u2014 an allegation that federal officials refuted on Friday.<\/p>\n
Fishback made the announcement on Thursday via social media, touching on a similar alleged investigation involving U.S. Rep. Cory Mills<\/a>. <\/p>\n According to Fishback \u2014 who referenced an anonymous \u201cgovernment whistleblower\u201d \u2014 the investigation surrounding Mills expanded to include Donalds.<\/p>\n On July 21st, 2026, NBC News reported that Republican Florida Congressman Cory Mills was under criminal investigation by the Department of Justice.<\/p>\n Like virtually every federal investigation, this one began with a single suspect before expanding to include others.<\/p>\n A government\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/JQNVFtOkmT<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 James Fishback (@j_fishback) August 6, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cFederal prosecutors are looking at two dates in question: May 17th, 2024, and November 19th, 2024,\u201d his post reads. \u201cDates when Congressmen Mills and Donalds are said to have traveled to the MGM National Harbor \u2014 a luxury hotel resort in Oxon Hill, Maryland, where they solicited, procured, and paid women for explicit sexual acts.\u201d<\/p>\n [RELATED: US Rep. Cory Mills faces DOJ criminal investigation, sources say]<\/p>\n Fishback said his legal team managed to \u201cindependently verify this investigation,\u201d claiming that a third party revealed messages from Rep. Mills confirming that he and Donalds were at the MGM Harbor on both of those dates.<\/p>\n Supposed text messages between U.S. Rep. Cory Mills and a third party, shared by Florida gubernatorial candidate James Fishback (James Fishback)<\/p>\n Per Fishback\u2019s post, a federal prosecutor asked the DOJ whether Donalds was under investigation, though the agency reportedly refused to comment.<\/p>\n \u201cThey refused to do so despite clearing Florida Republican Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna of any criminal conduct in a letter just two weeks ago,\u201d the post continues.<\/p>\n A copy of the letter shared by Fishback (James Fishback)<\/p>\n Fishback has had a contentious relationship with Donalds as the primary season has progressed, with both vying for the Republican candidacy.<\/p>\n After Fishback made the claims publicly, News 6 reached out to the U.S. Department of Justice and Donalds\u2019 campaign for more details.<\/p>\n On Friday, News 6 received the following response from Donalds\u2019 campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cCompletely false. We will not be distracted by this baseless and defamatory sideshow, and neither should you.\u201d <\/p>\n Byron Donalds for Governor<\/p>\n On Friday afternoon, the DOJ also released a statement, further stating that Fishback\u2019s accusation is not true.<\/p>\n Falsely accusing someone of being under investigation is a dangerous form of weaponization. This claim is not true. Congressman Byron Donalds is not under investigation. https:\/\/t.co\/QW26cT7b4d<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 DOJ Rapid Response (@DOJRR47) August 7, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Copyright 2026 by WKMG ClickOrlando – All rights reserved.<\/p>\n