GOP candidate sold tear gas used against BLM protesters
Cory Mills has amassed his wealth selling tear gas used on BLM protesters.
-
GOP candidate Cory Mills
Cory Mills is a candidate for Congress in Florida's 7th congressional district. Mills is a co-founder of PACEM Solutions, which provides law enforcement agencies with riot control equipment and training. His company sold tear gas used against Black Lives Matter protesters.
Answering questions from Politico, Mills defended the sales and stated that his company was "proud" of the sales, citing that he was thankful that police officers had "less-lethal options" available to maintain order.
According to Dun & Bradstreet, a company data and analytics provider, PACEM Solutions has yearly revenues of $13.5 million and Mills is sponsoring his campaign with the money from the company.
Mills, 41, a 6th-generation Floridian, has questioned vaccination requirements, blasted critical race theory, and attributed current events in Ukraine to Biden being "weak" and "woke".
Read more: US pressured to give Ukraine intelligence on Russia
The US Congress is still debating the widespread use of teargas and the safety concerns attributed to them.
Democratic Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi told Politico, “This is a product that has been banned from use in war as a chemical weapon and that no federal agency has ever determined to be safe to use on humans, and yet we allow companies like PACEM to manufacture and sell tear gas products for widespread use."
Representative Cori Bush also spoke of her experience with the tear gas at Black Lives Matter demonstrations.
“Manufacturers have continued to profit off its sale, and law enforcement agencies have had free rein to use it against protesters across the country. This unregulated, violent and deadly chemical weapon can cause long-lasting health damage to community members, including asthma, respiratory failure, and even death,” she said.
Read more: Black History Month: Black oppression in the United States
PACEM Solutions, also provided what it called "support and advisory" services to authorities in Iraq, Ukraine, Pakistan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Kurdish region, Malaysia, and other countries.
