U.S. Rep. Mike Collins speaks at a Donald Trump rally in 2024. (File photo: Ross Williams/Georgia Recorder)
WASHINGTON — Georgia Republican Mike Collins and his chief of staff are under investigation by the House Ethics Committee, although the panel did not detail Friday why it was investigating their actions.
The compact press release stated that the commission “will announce its course of action in this matter on or before January 5” and that the investigation “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred, nor does it reflect any judgment delivered on behalf of the commission.”
Collins became a member of Congress representing the state 10th Congressional Districtin January 2023. Since then, he has targeted the U.S. Senate and is one of several Republican politicians running in the starting lineup for a chance to challenge Democratic Sen. Jon Ossoff in next year’s midterm elections.
Collins’ spokesman dismissed the investigation into the congressman and his chief of staff, Brandon Phillips.
“This false referral is nothing more than a desperate and baseless attack by Republican Collins’ political opponents,” the spokesman wrote in an email. “We look forward to the conclusion of the Ethics Committee’s work and the dismissal of this frivolous complaint. Thank you for your interest in this matter!”
A spokesman said the Ethics Committee is not conducting an investigation, but its members are reviewing an Oct. 7 “referral” sent to the Office of Congressional Conduct, formerly the Office of Congressional Ethics.
“This is not an “ethics investigation” either. The matter has been referred to the Ethics Committee,” the spokesperson wrote in a second email. “I ask that all reports reflect the accuracy of the letter.”
The House Ethics Committee announced numerous investigations into lawmakers this year, including: one earlier this week to Florida Republican Cory Mills.
