Ethics watchdog questions intern hire by chief of staff to Georgia Sen. Mike Collins

Summary

Ethics watchdogs are raising fresh questions about staffing and compensation in the office of Georgia Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Collins, the AP reported Monday as the House Ethics Committee extended its review of a complaint dating to October. A congressional ethics watchdog said in a report released Monday that there is substantial reason to believe Brandon Phillips, Collins’ former chief of staff, hired his girlfriend as an office intern and that she “did not perform duties commensurate with her compensation,” according to the report.

The report, adopted unanimously by the six board members of the Office of Congressional Conduct, also described concerns about whether official resources were used for unauthorized purposes. It said there is substantial reason to believe Collins “used congressional resources for unofficial or otherwise unauthorized purposes,” and it recommended that the House Ethics Committee subpoena Collins, Phillips, the woman and three other current and former Collins staffers after the watchdog said none of them cooperated with the investigation.

The watchdog’s findings included details about compensation to the woman described as the intern. The Office of Congressional Conduct said she was paid $5,044 in November and December 2023 and $5,244.44 in October, November and December 2024 for work in Collins’ district office in Georgia, while the report also said witnesses told investigators they never saw her work in the office.

The report addressed additional allegations, including claims that Phillips misused congressional travel funds and may have performed campaign work while drawing a salary for congressional work. But the Office of Congressional Conduct said it had been unable to determine whether those claims were true, according to the AP.

Collins’ defense attorney, Russell Duncan, argued the matter should be dismissed. In a Dec. 31 letter cited by AP, Duncan said the claims came from “two disgruntled, former members of Congressman Collins’ staff” and wrote that the hiring was proper, adding that the intern hire was “well within his discretion in managing the congressman’s office,” the AP reported.

House Ethics Committee records show the complaint has been under review since it was first received in October, and the House Ethics Committee said it is extending that review after receiving the watchdog’s report, AP reported. The report’s investigation also said the woman did not respond to investigators’ requests.

As the ethics questions landed, Collins’ office pushed back sharply. In a statement cited by AP, the office said the complaint was “bogus” and a “sad attempt to derail” Collins, adding that Collins expects to provide “all factual information” to the House Ethics Committee and put what it called “meritless allegations” to rest.

The report and response arrived as Collins faces a crowded Republican field for Georgia’s 2026 Senate race against Democratic U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff. AP reported that Phillips is now working for Collins’ Senate campaign, and that Collins’ rivals quickly seized on the watchdog’s report; Harley Adsit, a spokesperson for Rep. Buddy Carter, said in a statement that the allegations were serious and that Collins would have to explain them.

Democrats’ allies also weighed in. The Democrats’ Senate Majority PAC cited Phillips’ employment history as a problem for Collins in a social media post and raised questions about why the campaign put Phillips in charge of the office and kept him there, AP reported.