Ethics panel investigates US Rep. Mike Collins over alleged ghost intern

By Nolan D. McCaskill

WASHINGTON, Jan 5 (Reuters) – The U.S. House of Representatives Ethics Committee said on Monday it is reviewing allegations against Representative Mike Collins of Georgia, a Republican Senate candidate who is accused of paying more than $10,000 to an intern who was dating his chief of staff and performed no work.

Ethics Committee leaders announced the investigation following the release of a 37-page report from a separate ethics panel that found “substantial reason to believe” Collins misused congressional resources by paying an intern in his Georgia office who did no actual work. 

That woman, Caroline Craze, worked at Cox Communications during the time she was being paid by Collins’ office, according to her LinkedIn account.

Craze was dating Collins’ chief of staff, Brandon Phillips, the report said. Several witnesses told the ethics panel they feared retaliation from Phillips for cooperating with the review, citing reports of past violent criminal behavior.

Attorneys for Collins and Phillips said Craze’s hire was proper and said the allegations came from disgruntled former aides. Craze could not be immediately reached for comment. Collins’ office said the “bogus complaint is a sad attempt to derail” one of the state’s most effective conservative legislators.

“Rep. Collins looks forward to providing the House Ethics Committee all factual information and putting these meritless allegations to rest,” the office said.

Collins is one of three high-profile Republican candidates vying to take on Democratic Senator Jon Ossoff in what is seen as one of the Republicans’ best chances to add to their Senate majority in the November midterm elections that will determine control of Congress for the next two years.

(Reporting by Nolan D. McCaskill; editing by Andy Sullivan and David Gregorio)